Angel With A Broken Wing
by jennyhr
Summary: Bella wakes up alone in an unfamiliar place. She calls 9-1-1 but doesn't remember anything about how she got there or who she is. At the hospital she learns devastating details about her past and has to deal with trying to remember her family and life before she disappeared. Rated M for a lot of discussion and minor details about rape (not too graphic).
1. Chapter 1

**I am so happy that you took the time to start reading this story! I started writing it a while back and so I have a lot more than this written so I'm hoping that the updater will be really often. I really hope that you like this story! I haven't uploaded a new story in a few YEARS, so I really hope you all like this! Thank you!**

Everything was dark and my limbs were numb. I tried to remember what had happened, where I was, but nothing was coming to me. As I re-gained consciousness, I opened my eyes. Nothing was familiar. The air was cold and musty and the walls were dark and looked dirty. I scanned my own body and was surprised to see that I was fully un-dressed. My body ached slightly and my head was pounding like a drum. Regardless, I stood up and walked to the door quietly. When I peeked out I saw that it led to an alley way. There were men arguing and at the end of the alley there was a busy sidewalk. I closed the door and searched for my clothes, mainly my phone. Finally, in a small closet, I found my clothes that I didn't remember putting on, crumpled up in the corner. I found a land-line phone on a small stool and dialed 9-1-1.

"911, what's your emergency?" A lady asked routinely.

"I...I think I've been raped." I tried to say, my voice hoarse and my lungs springing with sharp pains. "I don't know where I am."

"What makes you think you've been raped?" The question could've sounded snotty but she sounded caring, so I answered.

"When I woke up I couldn't remember anything and I don't have any clothes on." I whispered. "I don't know what happened."

"Is there anyone with you? Are you being held hostage?"

"No, I don't know. There's no one here, I don't know if I'm supposed to leave or stay..."

"Okay, do you have clothes to put on?" She asked calmly, although I could sense the urgency, so I began to dress immediately.

"Yes. I'm dressing now."

"Good, what's your name, sweetie?"

"Bella." I answered. "I think. What should I do now?" I walked to the door silently and peeked out. The arguing men were gone and the alley was empty.

"Okay, Bella, if you can leave, leave and get to a place where you can tell me a location." She explained. I slowly stepped out and tiptoed to the sidewalk. It took a few seconds for the sun to stop blinding me, but even then I couldn't see well.

"Umm...I think there's an Arby's...and…and a Macy's?" I wasn't sure of anything. "There are a lot of cars."

"Can you see a road sign anywhere?" I squinted at the stoplights until I could see a road name.

"Um, Washington Street, I think. I can't see much, my vision is so blurry."

"Okay, there is an ambulance on its way to get you. Stay where you are until you see them so that we can keep you safe. It's going to be okay, honey."

"Thank you. Bye." I hung up and watched for the ambulance. As I was standing on the sidewalk waiting, I heard someone approach me. The hair rose up on my arms and I clutched on to the bicycle rack next to me.

"Are you alright, Miss?" A smooth voice asked. I turned around slowly; ready to fight if I had to. When I turned, I came face to face – well face to chest – with a tall muscular, handsome man. He had blazing green eyes and disheveled bronze hair. The look on his face was full of genuine worry; he didn't look like a threat.

I took a breath, preparing to answer him, when an ambulance pulled up right next to me and a paramedic jumped out.

"Are you Bella?" She asked urgently. I nodded and she ushered me into the bus. I only caught a small glimpse of the man before they shut the doors and sped off.

The questions came quickly, but carefully. I answered as many as I could, but I didn't remember much about what happened.

"What _do_ you remember, Bella?" The lady, who had identified herself to me as Carmen, asked.

"I... I think I was at a party, and I got a drink...it wasn't alcoholic I don't think...maybe sprite, and then I got really confused and tired...then..." I kept drawing a blank. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. When I woke up, I was back there."

"Okay, you're doing very well." She said as she cleaned a small section of my arm with alcohol. "I'm going to draw some blood to check for drugs and illnesses, alright?"

I nodded. "I didn't do any drugs though."

"I know, but you may have been given a date rape drug or some other substance to knock you out at the party." She said as she took the vials of blood.

When we arrived at the hospital, they took me to a private room and did the rape kit. After they were done taking every speck of possible evidence, they finally let me shower. I took five consecutive showers, trying to scrub away the fear and dirtiness I felt. About half way through my sixth, someone knocked on the bathroom door and came in.

"Bella, honey, you need to get out now. I know you don't feel clean, but you are going to hurt yourself scrubbing this much." A nurse said.

"I can't..."

"Bella, come on." She reached in and turned off the water and handed me a towel. I wrapped up in it, sat on the floor and sobbed. The nurse consoled me for a little while, but eventually left me alone. I cried and screamed until I simply couldn't anymore. After a few minutes, the nurse came back and silently gave me a pair of clean clothes to wear and then she gave me a hug, which I accepted gratefully. Once I was dressed, I walked out into the hallway.

There was a long hallway and then the nurses' station. I quickly walked to it.

"Where can I find the results of the blood test they took?" I asked the nurse who had been helping me.

"We can bring it to you, of if you would like you can go up to the seventh floor and see if they have it ready." She said. I read her name tag that said her name was Angela.

"I will just go myself. I need to walk." I answered, walking to the elevator. When it landed on the seventh floor, I walked out and looked for a desk to tell me where to go next. As I was walking down the halls, I passed a doctor.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Where do I go to see my blood test results? They were done a few hours ago and I just want to know."

"I can help you, what's your name?"

"Bella." I answered. I still wasn't sure if that was it or not and I couldn't remember my last name either.

"Last name?" He asked.

"I don't know, sorry." I whispered. He looked at me sadly and then led me to a desk, which he went into a room behind it. He came out with a clipboard and he was frowning.

"Is something wrong?" I asked nervously. He looked up at me.

"Come with me." He led me into another room that had a name tag that read Dr. Cullen on it. I sat down in a small, squishy chair. My whole body was shaking.

"What wrong?"

"Well, to start off, it's confirmed that there were drugs used to make you unconscious. But there was a much larger amount in your system that could've been used in a drink, so we will re-check you for needle marks just in-case. That also means you could've been held captive much longer than originally thought. Also, Bella, you are pregnant. Probably around eight weeks, an ultrasound will tell us more..." He kept talking, but I didn't hear a word of it. I was pregnant. That means whoever raped me, I was carrying his baby. Also, I had been gone at least eight weeks, if not more.

I stood up. "I need a minute." I walked down the hallway, before sliding down the wall and letting silent tears fall. I covered my mouth so that I didn't make any noise. After a few minutes, I heard soft footsteps approaching.

"Are you alright?" Someone asked. I recognized the voice slightly. When I looked up I gasped as did he. It was the man from before. He bent down to get closer and I scrambled to my feet and took a few steps backward. I was too scared to say anything. The chances of him being there and here at the same time as me were slim unless he was stalking me, which meant that he had probably raped me.

"P...please..." I sobbed.

**I know it's not a great length for a chapter! SORRY! The others will be longer, I just had to end this one there. I WILL update really soon. Hopefully later this evening maybe!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update as soon as I'd have liked to but here it is! I'm so glad everyone liked it so far! This chapter is by far better than the first (well, at least I think it is)! Thanks for coming back for more!**

"_Are you alright?" Someone asked. I recognized the voice slightly. When I looked up I gasped as did he. It was the man from before. He bent down to get closer and I scrambled to my feet and took a few steps backward. I was too scared to say anything. The chances of him being there and here at the same time as me were slim unless he was stalking me, which meant that he had probably raped me._

"_P...please..." I sobbed. _

"Hey, hey, hey. Shh, I'm not going to hurt you." He said softly. "I promise. I won't touch you. You're safe."

"Who are you?" I said, still crying.

"I'm Edward Cullen. My father works just down the hall. I came to ask him if he wanted my mom to make roasted ham or turkey for dinner. I am not here to hurt you, I promise. I am in Medical School and I'm doing my residency here." I knew that he was telling me all this to gain my trust.

"What about earlier?"

"This morning I was walking to work, but I decided to stop for breakfast at Lauren's Breakfast Bar right down the street from my apartment. I got a coffee and a cherry-Danish with cream cheese icing. After I ate and drank my breakfast, I continued walking to work. On the way I remembered that it was my sister's anniversary today so I stopped at a florist and sent her a huge bouquet. It had two of every flower that she liked in all of her favorite colors. When I came out of the florist, I saw you."

I stared at him for a second before breaking down again and sitting on the floor like before. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I repeated over and over again, bawling. "I thought... I thought you..." I couldn't finish, but I think he understood.

He came closer but didn't touch me. "Don't apologize; you had every right to be scared. You still do. I will leave you alone now unless there is anything you need." I didn't say anything for a moment. I was scared to be alone now, but I didn't want to bother him.

"I will be okay." I whispered and stood up to walk away, but I realized that I didn't know what floor I was supposed to be on, so I sat back down and waited to talk to doctor Cullen again so that I could find out where I was supposed to be. After a few minutes, Edward came around the corner again and stopped.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked gently.

"I don't want to bother you. Don't worry about me." I said looking the other way.

"What's your name?" He questioned.

"Bella."

"Bella, I have a ton of time on my hands. You are not going to bother me, no matter what you ask."

I looked up at his gorgeous eyes. "I don't know where to go. I have a room somewhere, but I don't know what floor." Then, he flashed a smile that made my heart thunder.

"That's not a problem." He walked me to the desk and started typing things on the computer. "You are on the fourth floor, room 413."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Do you want me to walk you there?" I nodded. I couldn't be alone. Once we were in the elevator, I looked up and saw a picture of a newborn infant. Tears streamed down my face silently. Edward looked at me.

"Bella? What's wrong?" He asked. My knees were getting wobbly so I gripped the railing. I couldn't take my eyes off the picture.

"I'm pregnant." I barely breathed. Just saying the words crippled me even more. I looked in the mirror of the elevator and I was shocked. There was a tall handsome man who I knew was Edward, and then there was a tiny, under-fed, malnourished, broken woman who looked awful. It took me a long time to realize that the woman was me. I didn't recognize anything. This just brought me to more tears. I looked up at Edward.

I could tell that he desperately wanted to do something, but I knew he was afraid to touch me.

"Oh, Bella." He whispered. "I'm so sorry." The elevator stopped and opened and I tried to control my emotions, but I didn't do a very good job. My whole body was shaking as I kept myself from giving in to the floor.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Edward asked carefully. I looked up at him, once again checking for any intent to harm me. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help you."

"Okay." I whispered. He wrapped his warm, strong arms around me and I let my body go limp. He lifted me without a struggle and I leaned my head against his chest. He carried me the short distance to my room and set me on the small bed. Angela scurried in.

"What's wrong, Edward?" She asked.

"She's pregnant." He whispered, almost too where I couldn't hear it.

"Oh dear." She breathed. "Do you know her well?"

"No, I just met her today. She looks familiar, but I can't place it."

"I know, I feel the same way." She commented almost silently as she walked up to me. I was half asleep, but I was afraid that when I woke up I would be back in that awful place with whoever did this to me. "Bella, honey, you can go to sleep, it's going to be okay."

"I'm scared. I don't want to be alone again. I don't want to go back. If I'm asleep I can't fight him off. He can inject more drugs into me." I said shakily. Even though they both didn't know about the drugs, they didn't miss a beat.

"There are officers here to watch your room. No one gets in without your consent. Even doctors and nurses. You are safe. You will be here when you wake up." Angela said.

"Do they know who I am yet?" I whispered, ashamed of the question.

Angela paused and I knew the answer. Tears escaped even though I was trying to be strong. "I'm sorry, Bella. They are doing the best they can."

"What if they don't ever find out? What if I am always 'Bella with no last name'? I can't live like that."

"They will figure it out. The crime lab people are great. The technology is baffling."

I was too tired to argue, so I just nodded.

"I will go now and let you rest. I hope everything goes well for you, Bella. I will keep you in my prayers." Edward said as he went to leave.

"Wait." I stopped him at the last second. "Come back tomorrow...please. I need someone that I can talk to. I can't be alone."

He smiled softly. "Absolutely. Have a good rest, Bella." As he walked out I don't know why, but I felt scared and sad.

A doctor came in to look for the needle marks and found them, super tiny, all over my body. She counted them and totaled 23. That was a lot. They left me to go to sleep, but I couldn't. Every time I dozed off, I woke up screaming. The night lasted forever. When the nursing staff switched, the new nurse – Jessica – would come and check on me every time I screamed the first ten times. She talked to me and assured me that they would figure it out.

I was shaking by the time day-light shone through my windows. They had switched my room to a more safe – rubber – room. I didn't plan on hurting myself, but I appreciated their thoughts – sort of. It was on the same floor as my other room so that I could still have Angela and Jessica as my nurses.

At about ten thirty in the morning a doctor came in with a syringe.

"Bella, I'm going to give you some medicine to help you go to sleep, okay?" He asked. I jumped off the bed and scurried in to the corner.

"No!" I breathed. "Please, I don't want to." I shook my head violently and started hyperventilating.

"Bella, you need some sleep. Your body needs to recoup. You are under a lot of stress."

"Get out. You can't drug me again. Twenty-three is enough. I'm done. Get out!" Tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't stop shaking. I didn't take my eyes off of the needle though, not once. Angela came in just then and rushed over to me.

"Shh, Bella, calm down. If you don't want the medicine you don't have to have it." She assured me. "It's going to be okay, honey. Take a few deep breaths and try to calm down a little."

"I'm sorry." I whispered and then looked at the doctor. "I'm so sorry."

"Bella, you are at no fault here. I should have known better. I'm sorry that I put you through that." He smiled sadly.

"Bella, if you would like, we can take you over for an ultrasound now. If you would like to wait that's okay."

I looked around and then I looked at myself. I looked so fragile. I felt my stomach for the first time, and I could actually feel a small bump. I looked back up at Angela.

"Can we do it now?"

She smiled. "Of course." Angela gave me some new clothes to wear since all I had was a pair of short shorts and a tank top and it was the middle of winter – or so I was told by Angela. She gave me a pair of black leggings and a long grey shirt/dress. She also gave me a pair of jeans and a light green long sleeve shirt. I put on the leggings and the dress and also a pair of ballet flats that she gave me and we walked up to the ultrasound room.

"Do you want me to stay with you or do you want to do this by yourself?" Angela asked.

"Please stay with me if you can. I'm sure you have other patients..."

"I can stay. They have assigned me to you and only you until you are released." She explained. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't comment on it at all except for a slight nod. A doctor took us into a small room and I got up on a bed.

"This will be cold." The doctor warned; as she spread jell on to my stomach. I flinched a little, but it wasn't awful. "Just a moment and I will be able to see your baby."

She moved the camera around on my stomach and then stopped.

"Do you know how far along you are, Bella?" She asked. I shook my head no.

"I don't know anything."

"What all would you like to know?"

"Everything, but slowly."

"Of course." She smiled and paused. "You are about three months pregnant."

I sucked in a sharp breath and held it. Angela patted my hand. A tear ran down my face. "Okay, what's next?"

"Your baby seems to be relatively healthy; would you like to hear the heart beat?"

I took a few seconds. "Not now. I...I just need time."

"That's fine; there is no pressure here, Bella. You can go at your own pace with this."

I just nodded. "Is that all?"

"Well, if you would like to know the gender of your baby, I can tell you, but if you don't that is not a problem."

I looked at Angela and she smiled a little. "I want to know." I told the doctor. She smiled and nodded.

"It looks like you are going to be having a little boy."

I stopped breathing and tears ran down my face. I couldn't think; I was paralyzed.

"Would you like to see him?" She asked softly.

"I... I guess." The doctor turned the screen around and on it was a small outline of a tiny person. I could see his little arms and his head and legs. He was barely moving, fluttering his arms and legs. My face was soaked, so the doctor gave me a tissue. Then she pushed a few buttons and a printer that I didn't notice snapped on and began printing. She retrieved a few papers and cut them in half.

"Would you like to keep some?" She asked, handing me one of the halves. On it were three little squares that had three different images. I nodded slowly and took it.

After a little more conversation, we went back to my room and Angela let me have some alone time to try to wrap my head around everything.

I sat on the bed and wrapped myself up in the dark purple sheets and cried. I was so scared. I had no clue what I was doing. I knew that killing the baby wasn't an option for me, even if he would be a constant reminder of what had happened to me – it's not like I could forget anyway. I didn't know if giving him up for adoption would be a possibility for me or not. I had no idea how to be a mother, though. I had six months to find out if I could or not.

I didn't know what to do when I got released from the hospital. I have nowhere to go. I don't know where I live, or if I have a house, or how old I am. I don't know anything about myself.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"W...who's there?"

"It's Edward."

"Oh, you can come in if you want." I said, trying to wipe away the tears. He opened the door slowly and sat down next to me. "You don't have to be here, Edward. I'm sure you have better things to do than sit here with me."

He smiled a little. "I don't mind being here, Bella. If you don't want me here I will leave, but I like talking to you."

I just sighed. "It's a boy." I whispered after a few minutes of silence. He looked up from where he had been staring at the ground.

"What is?"

I reached under the sheets and got the little pictures that I had gotten this morning and handed them to him. He looked shocked. I could tell he wanted to say or ask something, but he wasn't saying anything.

"I'm not going to have an abortion." I whispered. He looked at me and smiled a tiny bit. "I don't know if I can keep him and raise him by myself, but I don't know if in the end I will be able to hand him off to someone and never see him again."

"Bella, you will figure it all out. No one will judge you no matter what you choose to do."

"I know." I trialed off into another stretch of silence. After another few minutes, Angela came in.

"Bella, can you come with me for a second? We need to talk." She asked. I could tell by her eyes that something was going on.

I got up and walked to the door.

"Edward, you can wait here or out in the hall, it might be a while." Angela said. I began to get nervous. "Everything is alright, Bella, don't worry."

We walked down the hall and to a room and Angela shut the door. . There was a couch and a small rectangular table and a police officer and another woman I did not recognize. All of the blinds were closed leading out to the hallway, but the blinds to the windows facing outside were up.

"Hello, Bella." The woman walked over to me and shook my hand. "I am a psychologist. We have some news and I am here to help explain everything. You can call me Kate. This is Officer Bloom; he is here from the Washington Police Department." He shook my hand and Angela and I sat on the couch.

"What's going on?" I whispered. I felt like if I talked too loudly, everything would shatter and fall to pieces.

"We have been searching day and night since you came in to try and find who you are. We checked all missing people's reports in the state of Washington and all of the missing persons reports with the name Bella listed in the entire country." Officer Bloom explained. "We found you, Bella. The DNA matches."

**I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought of it! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Two updates in one day...I don't think I've ever done this! I'm just so excited to see all of your feedback and keep you enthused. I hope you like this! I'm really glad that everyone is liking it so far.**

"We have been searching day and night since you came in to try and find who you are. We checked all missing people's reports in the state of Washington and all of the missing persons reports with the name Bella listed in the entire country." Officer Bloom explained. "We found you, Bella. The DNA matches."

He set a manila folder down on the table and I stopped breathing. My hands started shaking.

"It's okay, Bella."

"Would you like to know what we found?" He asked. I looked at Kate.

"This is going to be extremely hard, Bella, but from what I've heard, you are a fantastic woman with strength that I can not imagine. If you don't want to do this right now, that's okay, though. I know that you have already been hit with a lot of information today."

Tears began to fall slowly and I rubbed my stomach. "I need to know. I'm scared, but I need to know who I am."

She nodded her head and handed me the folder. The room was silent as I took it opened it. I didn't breathe. The first thing I saw was the picture. Right then and there I lost it. In the picture was a little girl. Probably seven or eight from the looks of it. Long dark hair put up in pigtails, bright eyes and a huge smile with missing teeth. I couldn't feel anything, all I knew is that that was me, I don't remember anything, but it had to be me. I was so little. I covered my mouth and sobbed. I couldn't see anything, but I kept the folder open.

It took me a good twenty minutes to calm down enough that I could see and think again. I was glad that no one tried to calm me though. Still crying, I read the information.

According to the folder, my name was Isabella 'Bella' Marie Swan. My birthday is May 25, 1991. I went missing on July 17, 1998. I was seven years old then. My parents were Charles Swan and Renee Swan. They lived with me in Forks, Washington apparently. It said that I was at a birthday party for a little girl named Rosalie at a park when I disappeared.

That was it. I was shaking when I finished reading it. The tears flowed like a waterfall for hours. Literally, I curled up on the couch, clutched the folder and cried for four hours straight. Even when I ran out of tears, I still couldn't stop sobbing.

Angela consoled me for a while, but there was nothing that she could do, and at some point she left. I had been gone since I was seven years old. I had originally thought like a day or two, not since I was seven.

Finally, I slowly began to calm down and relax a bit. I was quiet for a long time after I lapsed into silence.

"Have you contacted anyone?" I whispered. "Like my parents or someone?"

Kate, who was the only one in the room, answered. "No, not yet. We wanted to talk to you first. If you have any questions about anything we will do our best to answer."

I nodded. "The folder answers my biggest question – who am I? – but I don't know anything else about myself. I don't know what day it is or how old I am or where I am or anything."

"Today is January 11, 2012 – it is a Tuesday. You have been missing for fourteen years this July. We are currently at St. Josephs Hope Hospital in Seattle, Washington." She said. I didn't have the energy to cry anymore so I just nodded.

Fourteen years. Pain and fear ripped through my chest. I couldn't breathe right.

"How do we go about telling my parents?" I asked. "I mean, they probably think I am dead, right?"

"I don't know. I'm sure they still have hope for you." She patted my hand. "We can go about it however you would like but we had planned on calling them into Seattle telling them that we have some important information for them, and then just tell them." Kate explained.

"I have a brother too, right? Or is that just imagination?" I had a vague memory of a little boy with me somewhere and he sort of looked like the little gir...me in the picture.

"Yes, you have an older brother, Emmett. He is four years older than you."

"Can he come too? He's the only one I really remember."

"Of course, Bella. Whatever you want."

"Can I go back to my room now?" I whispered. Kate smiled sadly and nodded, walking me back to my room.

Once she left me, I sat in a chair by the window. I watched people come and go for hours. A few sparked my interest. There was one little girl that couldn't be more than seven (which is why I was interested) was wheeled out in a wheelchair. She was holding pink balloons and from the looks of it, she was very skinny. Her parents were walking slowly, even from four floors up; I could see the exhaustion rolling off them. I assumed she had cancer or something. There was also a family that left with three baby carriers, triplets. The mother was in a wheelchair, but once the man pulled up a mini-van, she stood up with two of the babies – another woman took the other – and walked to the car with her new babies.

I looked away from the window for the first time in hours and lifted my stomach, looking at my stomach. I pressed my hand to the tiny bump and sighed.

"Hey, little guy." I said quietly. "I'm really sorry. I know you have probably been kind of neglected the last few months. I don't even know what's going on with me yet. I'm going to see your uncle soon. I remember him a little. He loved me so much, I miss him."

I sat in silence with my un-born baby for more hours. The silence was surprisingly relaxing.

There was another soft knock at the door that I didn't recognize.

Kate came in with a large menu and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What would you like to eat Bella?"

I took the menu and looked at it. "I guess I will just have a turkey club." I said. "With water."

"Okay, that sounds good." She took a deep breath. "We called your parents and told them to come to Seattle. They will get here at about ten-o-clock tonight. Do you want to be there when we tell them?"

I looked at the clock. It was already six. What with the crying and window watching, the day had flown by in a blink. "Yeah, but I don't want them to see me when you tell them. It will be too much I think. I don't remember them, you know. I... I don't want to hurt them."

"Bella, your parents will understand. We will explain everything to them and I'm sure they won't be offended. And your memory may come back. There are usually triggers that sort-of unlocks a drawer filled of memories. This doesn't always happen, but it could."

I took a moment to ponder this. "So, like... if I hit a trigger, bah-bam, memory?"

Kate smiled a little. "Sort-of." But then she got serious. "But don't try to hit the triggers, Bella; sometimes trying can reverse the whole point."

"Okay, I understand."

"Good," Kate said, standing up. "Now, I'm going to go get you some food. Is there anything else that you want?"

"No, not really." I hesitated for a moment. "If he's still here, could you see if Edward would come see me? I really just need someone to talk to."

She smiled a little. "Sure sweetie. I'll be right back."

After she left, I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn't have the energy to cry anymore, but I was scared out of my mind. In a few hours I was going to re-meet my parents who don't remember and I haven't seen in fourteen years. Needless to say, it would be an awkward, emotional mess.

I sat on the floor and put my head in my hands. "Lo siento." I whispered to my baby in Spanish. I don't remember learning it, but I just sort of knew what I was saying. "Yo soy debil."

"Tú eres no." I snapped my head up. Edward was standing in the doorway. "You are not weak, Bella. You are the strongest person I know."

"I just feel so fragile. Like I am walking on glass. I don't want to do anything wrong, but I don't know what is right. In like, three and a half hours my parents will be here and I don't even remember them. How do I tell them that?"

"Wait, they found your parents?"

"Yeah, they searched their missing person's reports and matched my DNA to a case from back in '98."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... 1998, that's like..."

"Fourteen years. Yeah, I was seven. The creep took me from a little girl's birthday party. I don't remember that either."

"That is awful. I'm so sorry, Bella." Edward said softly. I looked up at him and nodded a little.

"I'm really scared, Edward." I whispered. "I'm terrified. What if they are mad at me? What if they hate me for not remembering? I'm scared they will want me to kill the baby or won't want me to be with them. After fourteen years, they probably have a whole new life going on." My hands were shaking.

Edward leaned forward and took my hands. "Bella, look at me." He said quietly. "Your parents are going to want you. They are still your parents; you are still their baby girl, even though you have been gone, they will still love you. I'm not saying it will be a seamless transition but they will still love you."

"Thank you." I breathed. "For everything. For putting up with my pathetic cries. I really appreciate that you are here."

"El gusto es mio, Bella." He smirked a little at the use of Spanish. "I am really glad that I have gotten to know you. I wouldn't change a thing...well, I mean..." He stuttered as he tried to fix his sentence.

"Shh, I know what you mean." I stopped him. "Me too." We spent the rest of the time talking a little about general things after I ate. We talked a lot in Spanish, just because we could. I didn't realize how much time had passed until Kate came to get me.

"Bella, it's time to go." She said quietly. My body tensed and I suddenly gave Edward a huge hug. He hesitated a second and then hugged me back.

"It's going to be okay, Bella. Go, go get your answers." He whispered in my ear and then let me go. "You'll be fine."

I slowly nodded and walked with Kate out of the hospital. We left the hospital and I took a huge breath of air. It felt so good in my lungs, even though it was a little cold. Kate drove me in her car to the huge police station and explained how this would go.

"We will take your family in a room with a big mirror on the wall that you will be able to see through. They won't be able to see you though. We will slowly tell them everything. Understand that their reactions could be varied in any way. This is going to be very hard on them too. Don't be disappointed if they don't react a certain way. People have all different ways of expressing their emotions. Okay?" She explained. I took a deep, shaky breath.

"Okay. Just...don't tell them that I'm pregnant yet."

"Absolutely, Bella. Is there anything else?"

"No. I just want to get it over with." I sighed as we parked. When we walked in, we were ushered down many halls until we stopped at a door. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was the big window. I walked over to it and put my hands on the glass. On the other side there was a table and five chairs. My whole body felt numb as Kate gave me a chair and I sat down, not taking my eyes off of the door.

After a few minutes, the door opened and an officer walked in, followed by four people. The last one joined the officer and handed him a piece of paper before they all sat down.

Tears ran down my face and I tried not to sob. Kate rubbed my arm.

"It's okay, Bella. Shh." She consoled. "The other person is a psychiatrist there to help control the reactions." She explained. I nodded and sound filled the little room.

"What's going on?" The woman – my mother I assumed – asked. She had red hair that was strewn around. You could tell that they didn't have a lot of time to get ready. There were two men with her, my father and Emmett I suppose. They all looked so worried. I didn't recognize them, except I could see a little bit of the face of the little boy I remember in Emmett's face. I choked on another sob.

"There is no way to go about this slowly." The officer said. "Your daughter, Bella, is alive. We found her."

There was complete silence for about five seconds before they all began to cry.

"You found...she's alive?" My father asked, covering his mouth with the hand that wasn't clasped with my moms. The officer nodded. Emmett stood up and leaned against the wall.

"Is she okay? What happened to her?" He asked. His voice was soothing to me. It felt protective.

"She was taken to an abandoned apartment complex. She woke yesterday morning and called 9-1-1. She was taken by ambulance to St. Josephs Hope Hospital and has been there since." The officer explained.

"Was she...did he..." Emmett struggled to get the right words out.

"She was drugged and raped. We believe that the drugs were given in high doses at very particular times. She doesn't remember anything." The sobs grew louder. Emmett stayed strong, although I could see the pain rippling through his face.

"If she was located yesterday morning, why are we knowing about this now and not earlier?" He asked.

"When I say she doesn't remember anything, I mean anything. She didn't know her last name or where she had came from or when she went missing." The officer paused. "She didn't – doesn't remember her parents – or anything else. She remembered you – Emmett – a little, but not much."

For the first time my mother stopped crying and looked up. "She doesn't remember?" She asked; her voice crackly. "My baby doesn't remember me?"

Although there was a heavy silence in the room where my family was, I was sobbing so loud that I was sure they could hear me, even though they couldn't.

The psychiatrist answered this question. "Bella's memory is very likely to return. It's not definite, but many times drug-induced amnesia fades with time."

Emmett started pacing and then he walked straight up to the window-mirror and leaned his head against the glass right in front of me as if he could see me. I pressed my hand to the glass where his rested and leaned my head across from his.

"I'm so sorry, Emmett." I whispered. "I love you."

"When can we see her? Where is she?" My father asked.

"Whenever Bella is ready. She has been through a lot and it is all up to her."

"Of course." My mother sighed. Kate put her hand on my shoulder.

"There is no rush, Bella. Whenever you are ready to talk to them you can see them. We can do this however you want, whenever you want."

I nodded. Emmett had moved across the room, but I still was pressed against the glass. "Can I see Emmett? I...I only remember him and I... I just need to be with him."

"Of course, Bella." Kate patted my shoulder and then she disappeared. In a few seconds, she walked into the other room and whispered something to the other psychiatrist.

"Mrs. And Mr. Swan, Officer Julio is going to take you to a room where you can get something to eat or drink. We need a moment with Emmett if you don't mind." Kate said. Officer Julio stood up and held the door for them. Once my parents were out of the room, Kate explained to him.

"Hello, Emmett, my name is Kate. I am your sister's personal psychiatrist." When she said that, Emmett's face changed. "She is here and she has requested to see you."

"She...she's here?" He choked.

"Yes. She has been listening the whole time. She remembers you and really wants to see you. Are you alright with that?"

"Yes, yes of course. Can I see her now?"

Kate looked up at the mirror and motioned for the officer to bring me in. "She's on her way in," was the last thing I heard before I was escorted out of the room and down the hall. We stopped in front of the door and I took a huge breath and I began to feel light headed. The officer opened the door.

**Okay, so I know that the Spanish is a little shaky. Obviously I'm not very experienced with the language. Google Translate can help a little, but if it's a bit off just bear with me. Sorry! I've only taken Spanish I so far. Thanks for reading this and once again please REVIEW! **** I'd love to hear what you thought. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Alrighty, so I'm worried that we all are going to get addicted to theses often updates. **** I have about one chapter worth left before I have to start writing again. I'm glad that you all are liking it so far though and I am going to try really hard to keep up with this. And if I can't manage daily updates I'd like to at least work with weekly. We'll see, maybe a bunch of reviews would make me work faster...hint hint. **** Thanks for coming back! Hope you like it!**

Kate looked up at the mirror and motioned for the officer to bring me in. "She's on her way in," was the last thing I heard before I was escorted out of the room and down the hall. We stopped in front of the door and I took a huge breath and I began to feel light headed. The officer opened the door. I froze. Emmett turned around and stood up.

"Oh my gosh." He whispered. Both of our faces were drenched with tears. I took eight steps forward and threw my arms around him and sobbed.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered through the sobs. I wasn't totally sure why I was apologizing, I felt guilty for causing everyone so much pain I guess.

"Shh, It's not your fault. I should have...I should've saved you."

"I miss you so much. I mean, I've only been conscious for a day…but you're all I know. You're everything I remember from my past."

"I'm never leaving you again, Bella. I will never let you go."

We held each other quietly except for sobs for a long time.

"We're going to give you guys some time alone, alright? I will be in the top room listening and there will be a guard outside the door if you need anything." Kate said. I nodded and she left. Emmett and I ignored the chairs and sat down side by side against the wall.

"I don't even know where to start, Emmett." I whispered.

"How much do you know?" He asked.

"I know that I was taken when I was seven from a birthday party and held captive, drugged and raped un-countable times. I woke up in an alley and was taken to the hospital where I found out everything." I scooted closer to Emmett as I said that.

"Do you want to know more?"

"Yes. I'm so confused. Tell me everything you know." I was shaking, but I stayed strong – if that's what you want to call what I was.

"You were seven, I was eleven. Our next door neighbor's family – the Hales – and our family were extremely close. Their daughter Rosalie – Rose – was only one year younger than me and their son Jasper is six years older than me. We did everything together, we might as well have extended our houses and connected them and then lived together.

"Rose was turning ten and we all went to the park with a bunch of our other friends to celebrate. We were playing hiding seek and you begged me to hide with you because you didn't want to hide alone. You were scared. But I wouldn't let you hide with me, so I told you to go and hide behind a bush nearby. I watched you go crouch behind it and then went back to hiding. After everyone else was found, no one could find you. We looked everywhere and then called the police.

"They found one of your hair bows in the woods about a mile in. We all knew what happened then." He took a long pause and wiped away tears, tightening the grip he had on me. "We looked non-stop until they ordered us to get rest. I didn't sleep for about 90 hours, and then they took me to the hospital and gave me drugs to knock me out for a few days. There was an active search for about three months, and then they backed off a little. The case went cold after a year or so. I...I did as much as I could in the way of looking for you and investigating as a thirteen year old could. I'm so sorry, Bella. This is all my fault, I should've let you stay with me, this would have never happened. I have always blamed myself for this, and I can't wait until the day I can kill that bastard."

I clutched on to his arm and he pulled me into his lap and held on to me and we cried together.

"I...I need to tell you something, Emmett." I whispered. My hands were shaking terribly. Emmett took them and held them.

"Anything, I'm listening."

"I'm...I'm…" I let out a few sobs. "I'm pregnant. Three months pregnant."

It was silent for a long time. "Pregnant." He whispered. I nodded.

"I don't want to have an abortion, Emmett. I just can't. He's the only thing I have that I know. The only other person that has been with me constantly since I was found. I just...I won't."

The room was frozen for a long time. "Okay." He whispered. "Whatever you wish, Bella. Whatever makes you happy."

I smiled. "Thank you, Emmett. For understanding, for coming here...for not giving up on me." He squeezed me.

"I will never give up on you Bells."

"It's a boy. He seems to be okay, despite the drugs and whatever else happened to me. I love him, Emmett. I don't care who his father is, he is my baby and I love him with all of my heart. He's the only thing that keeps me going. Even though it's only been a two days since I woke up, it feels like a century. My baby, Edward and Angela are keeping me sane. Without them I wouldn't be able to be here. I wouldn't be able to breathe. I'm so thankful for them, Emmett. So, so thankful." He rubbed my arm.

"Who are Edward and Angela?"

"Angela is my nurse. She has been an angel, Emmett. You have no idea, she is amazing." I smiled a little. "She has been so patient with me and Edward was the first person I spoke to when I woke up. He asked me if I was okay when I was waiting for the ambulance and then I saw him again at the hospital. His father, Dr. Cullen was the one who told me about being pregnant. He has visited me a lot since then. He has been so kind and understanding."

"Did you say Cullen?" Emmett asked, quietly. I looked at him.

"Yeah, why? Do you know him?"

Emmett nodded. "Edward is Rosalie's cousin. Their moms are sisters. Edward is one year older than you. They were all there...at the park. Did he say he knew you?"

I didn't know what to say. I could barely breathe. "No, I don't think he does. They both – Angela and Edward - said they thought they had met me before, but never placed it as far as I know...oh my, gosh."

"Did you catch Angela's last name?"

"No, I didn't."

We sat quietly for a while longer.

"I'm so sorry, Emmett." I whispered. "You didn't deserve any of this. I'm sorry you went through all of this pain."

"No, Bella, don't apologize to me, ever. I would go through all of this a thousand times if it would make what happened to you disappear. You went through so much more."

"But I wasn't conscious for any of it, so I never felt the pain, I never suffered. You did."

"I see your point, but still. You are suffering now. I'm just glad that you are safe. I thought you were gone and...and..."

"I'm here. I will always be here from now on. I'm not going anywhere." He nodded and hugged me.

"Do you want to see mom and dad yet?" He asked softly. I stiffened my muscles. "If you're not ready, that's fine, I was just asking. No pressure, Bella. We're going to do this at your pace. Whatever you say, goes."

"I want to wait for a little bit, I think. I feel terrible, but I don't remember them and I'm scared that I'll hurt them too much."

"That's fine. And don't feel bad. It's not your fault that any of this happened to you. Don't worry about remembering anything. If anything comes back, it comes back. If not then we will learn as we go, but everything will be okay no matter what and I don't want you driving yourself crazy trying to think of something. Mom and Dad will understand too. They aren't going to blame you. So whenever you are ready, I'm here for you and we will do this together. You're not going to be alone anymore."

"Thank you Emmett. I love you."

"I love you too Bells. I love you so much."

I took a deep breath. "So, what have I missed? I know there is a lot, but I don't know anything from before and I don't want to go back, not knowing _anything_."

"Well, after..." He sighed. "Everyone was at a standstill. It took years to move again, but no one has ever forgotten. No one. There are still signs hanging up some places. After a few years I graduated and went to the local college to become a paramedic. Rosalie and I got married three years ago."

"Oh, Emmett!" I smiled a little, but let a few tears escaped.

"It was a somber day. Everyone, including us was happy, but without you there it was hard."

"I'm so sorry. I would have been there if..."

"Bella, no one blamed you. Never. Not once."

"I know...so, you and Rosalie got married. Did you have any kids?"

"Not yet. We've been trying for a little while, but we both feel responsible for...a lot in our lives and we haven't fully come to terms with that yet and the thought of bringing more kids into this world terrified us both. We were just kids when it happened, but we both felt that we had ruined one child's life already."

I leaned my head on his arm. "I feel bad leaving without seeing the...Mom and Dad. I guess it's time."

"Bella, they will understand, if you're not ready..."

"No. It has to be now. They've waited long enough. I can't do that to them. I can't leave them wondering and waiting a second longer. I can't reject them."

"Alright then."

We stood up and I looked up at the glass, knowing that Kate was behind it. "I'm ready, Kate. Bring them in. I need this."

We waited, barely even breathing, for a long time. The handle on the door raddled and I sucked in a huge gush of air. "Don't leave me." I whispered quickly. He stepped protectively in front of me. His huge mass almost completely shielded my malnourished figure. The door opened and I started to shake.

"Bella?" Mom whispered. It felt so weird not knowing who was saying it, or rather not being able to recognize the voice.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered. She started crying and so did Dad. I let a single tear fall, but I didn't have the strength to break down again. Emmett stepped back and they stopped breathing.

"Oh my, gosh." Dad choked. Mom ran up and hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. It felt...warm and comforting, and right, but not familiar. I hugged her back and Dad wrapped his arms around us.

"Bella. My sweet baby." Mom stepped back and caressed my face. "You're all grown up. And so beautiful. I love you so much, honey."

"Guys, I know that it has been what seems like forever since you have seen Bella, but let her breathe. It's been just as long for her and as much as we'd love to change things, she doesn't remember a lot, including you. The drugs used to keep her unconscious wiped clean most of the things in her memory. It's not personal, you know that she wouldn't choose this, but give her a little space at first." Emmett said softly. They both stepped back softly.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered. "I'm trying, so hard."

"Shh, don't apologize sweetheart. It's not your fault. It's going to be okay." Mom smiled a little, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm just so happy that you're okay."

"I'm sorry that we didn't find you sooner. I can't believe you were only four hours away the whole time." Dad said. "I'm sorry I didn't save you that day. We should've looked sooner."

"Dad, you couldn't have known to look sooner. It's okay. I'm back now. I'm safe. It's no one's fault but his." I said shakily and I looked at Emmett. "No one's but his."

"Oh Bella." Mom looked at me longingly.

"Also...I'm..."I looked at Emmett and he nodded slightly and stepped a little closer to me. "I'm three months pregnant."

"Oh, Bella." Mom's eyes welled up. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm not. I'm keeping him. I need something to hold on to that I know is real and he is it. My baby. When it feels like I'm all alone and sinking into a dark confusion, he keeps me connected. I talk to him and I love him."

It was dead silent in the room. Bothe parents nodded and Mom gave me another hug. So did Dad. It felt good.

After a few minutes, Kate came in and asked me if I was ready to go back to the hospital. Until she said something, I didn't realize how tired I was. I hugged Mom and Dad goodbye but Emmett came with me. I wasn't ready to leave him. We took Kate's car back, quiet the whole way. When we got there and were up on my floor, I left Emmett so he could sign in at the front desk. On my way to my room, I saw Edward walking down the hall.

"Edward!" I called. He looked up and walked toward me.

"Hey, how did it go?"

"Good I guess. It was weird, but they didn't get mad. They don't hate me."

"See, I told you. No one will have any hard feelings toward you." He smiled a little and then frowned – looking at something behind me. I turned around and Emmett was walking toward me.

"Emmett? What are you doing here?" Edward asked and then stopped breathing. I could see the puzzle pieces fitting together in his brain.

"No way. Oh my, gosh," He looked at me. "_Oh my, gosh._" I nodded a little.

"Emmett is my brother, Edward."

"It all makes sense now. Holy cow, I can't believe it. You're _Bella_. I should've figured it out sooner."

Emmett gave Edward a hug. "Thanks for taking care of my little sis when I couldn't. It sounds like you made a huge difference in the last two days." Edward just stared at me and shook his head.

"I just can't believe it's you."

I smiled a little. I felt kind of awkward, so I slipped away to go take a shower. When I passed the nurses station, Angela saw me and came out to meet me.

"Hey, Bella, how did it go with your family?" She asked. I took a deep breath.

"Where did you live as a child?" I asked.

She looked confused. "I lived in Forks, it's a small town up north..."

"Angela." I looked at her. "My name...Bella...Bella Swan." I whispered. She froze. She didn't breathe or blink. Then, Emmett walked up and her eyes flicked over to him and then back to me. Tears welled up in her eyes and one escaped down her cheek.

"Bella?"

"I know it's a lot to take in, Angela, but it's me. I'm not really sure who that is yet, or if 'me' really exists anymore, but I'm here now."

She stared at me. "Is it...can I give you a hug?"

I smiled and hugged her. "Of course, Angela." We held each other for a long time, until my back started to hurt and everyone decided that I needed to lie down. It was extremely late...or early, depending on how you look at it.

All three of them crowded in my room and we talked. Well, Edward, Emmett and Angela talked and I listened. I didn't have much to say. Sometime after they finished talking about 'back home', I fell asleep. I didn't dream anything, I just slept. When I woke up, it was dark, but I could see a little light seeping in through the curtains. Emmett was asleep next to me in a chair. His face looked peaceful, but you could see the faint lines of worry still painted on his forehead.

I sat up slowly and looked at the clock. It was 6:00 in the evening. I closed my eyes for a second, still a little tired, but not enough to fall back asleep. I slid out of bed and peeked out the window, the ground was covered in snow and it was still softly falling. I became mesmerized by the beauty and perfection of the graceful flakes.

Putting on a pair of sweatpants and a sweater, I left the room and headed to the elevator. After I pushed the button to go to the ground floor, I waited impatiently. As soon as the doors opened, I hurried out of the elevator and out the front doors.

The cold barely fazed me as the soft flakes fell on my face. The sound of the snow hitting the ground was almost non-existent, but it still made me smile. A warm tear slipped out of my eye and I watched as it fell into the snow and leave a tiny dip in the perfection. The gorgeous sight made me furious. I hated the man that did this to me; who took away this magnificence. More tears - angry tears – fell and my vision got blurry. The warm tears felt weird on my cold face. I broke down and couldn't find the will to stand anymore. Not wanting to sit in the snow, I squatted down and rested my elbows on my knees and covered my face as I cried.

It wasn't fair. He took everything from me. My childhood is gone and there's nothing I can do to get it back. My memory of everything has vanished and I don't know how to find it. He took it all.

Through the thoughts in my head and the tears, I heard the snow crunching under someone's shoes. As it got louder, it got quicker. I looked up and saw a blurry figure coming towards me, but my eyes were too blurry to make out who it was.

"Bella?" I recognized the deep voice as Edward's. Warm arms wrapped around me and suddenly the ground was gone. "Are you okay, what's wrong? Why are you outside?"

The air changed. It was warmer and there was a low rumble of people's voices. Edward sat me down in a chair and called for a nurse.

"Bella, what's going on? Are you okay?" I managed to nod my head to let him know that I was okay. I didn't want to scare him too much. He let out a sigh of relief and wrapped his arm around me, trying to keep me warm.

I could see now, a nurse came running up with a blanket and Edward bundled me up in it. After a few minutes when I had calmed down, I leaned my head against my new friend's shoulder. I was so grateful that he was compassionate enough to bother with my life. He would make a great doctor.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He whispered.

I waited a second before answering. "I wanted to see the snow. It was so pretty from the window and I need to feel it and see it for real. And then I just got furious that some ass thinks that he could just take that all away from me. He took everything from me. Everything. And then I just lost it." I sighed deeply at the end. "I feel so helpless, Edward. Everything is gone and I don't have anything to hold sacred anymore. He took my childhood, my memories of the little child hood that I had, he took...he took my innocence. I hate him for it. I want him to hurt as much as I'm hurting now. I want him to be punished."

Edward stayed quiet for a while, but it was one of those silences where it was appropriate to stay quiet for a while. "It's going to be okay, Bella. You're going to slowly gain back you memory, which may be at some points more difficult to take than the blank slates, but you will most likely remember most of it. And the police are doing everything they can to find the person who did this to you, Bella. And justice will be brought."

I simply nodded my head, not having anything to say back.

"Do you want to head back to the room? Or we could go grab something to eat if you'd like? Whatever you want to do. We don't have to do anything for that matter."

"I'm hungry." I whispered. "I need to eat."

"Alright-y," Edward stood up and held out his hand. "The food here is nothing compared to home, but it's good."

I nodded and we walked to the food court. There wasn't a lot of choices, but it wasn't bad. I got a plate full of chicken alfredo and a water. Edward got a lot of things. The food was good and it wasn't crowded so there weren't too many eyes to judge my poor health.

"So, what happened after I was gone? Not anything to do with me, other stuff that happened home. Emmett told me a little, but mostly it was related to me." I asked.

Edward thought for a minute. "Well, let's see. There was a fire in the high school so they were out of school for a week before they got put in with the elementary kids. The high school was rebuilt. Harding Fischer caught a small shark out of the ocean one day. She was only 12. It was huge news for about a month. Not much else, Forks isn't really a busy place, not much happens. Oh, Dmitri Myles died not too long after your disappearance. About four months, actually. It was very sudden. He was only 23. His house burned to ash, Dmitri right along with it. His body was never fully recovered; they found a few of his remains. It was quite a gruesome event."

He kept talking, but I didn't hear a word. Images flashed in my head.

I was alone in a cold, dark room. The floor was hard like concrete. The echo of footsteps got louder and then stopped. Light flooded the room and revealed a dark silhouette in the door frame.

'Bella, Bella, Bella...' The sinister voice hissed. 'Now don't you worry a bit. Dmitri here will take good care of you as long as you behave. Just be a good girl and you won't remember a thing.' He walked closer...

Suddenly I was being shaken. "Bella! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" A loud scream startled me and I was instantly back in the hospital. I realized that the screaming was coming from me and I stopped. I wasn't in the food court anymore, they'd moved me back to my room somehow. My whole body was shaking and I was sobbing uncontrollably. Emmett sat on my bed and wrapped me up in his arms and rocked me. I clutched on to him and squeezed him tight.

"What happened?" Emmett asked urgently but quietly.

"I have no idea. I was talking to her about things that happened around town and she blacked out." Edward told him.

Through the sobs, I tried to talk. "It...it was...him." I sobbed.

**There we are! Four chapters down! Review and let me know what you guys think. Although I already have some of it written I'm to the point where I am going to start needing ideas of what you want to happen. I'll do my best to work with what you give me! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, three days in a row of updating! I am super excited. I'm to the point now where I am writing chapters so I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I am really glad that everyone seems to like it. In this chapter – well, mostly in the first few paragraphs – there is some language. I don't like to flat out say it so I will substitute a letter or two with a symbol. If you don't like it, please bear with me, it's only at the beginning. **

"_What happened?" Emmett asked urgently but quietly. _

"_I have no idea. I was talking to her about things that happened around town and she blacked out." Edward told him._

_Through the sobs, I tried to talk. "It...it was...him." I sobbed._

Emmett tightened his grip on me.

"Was he here, did you see him? He's not going to touch you ever again, Bella. I'll protect you."

"N...no." I choked. "D..." I couldn't finish. I couldn't say his name. Edward sucked in a huge breath.

"S#it." He sighed.

"What?"

"The last thing I told her before she blacked out was about when Dmitri Myles died. Then she was gone." Edward explained. At the sound of his name I sobbed harder, trying to get rid of the next images of the flashback.

"Shh, Bella, he'll never touch you again." Emmett whispered to me. Then he spoke to Edward. "Do you think it's possible? I mean, they found his body in the ashes. How could that be possible?"

"Think about it. They only found a few bones. His hips and legs I think. It could've been anyone's. They knew he lived alone and his friend said he was home that night. The bones were male, how deeply do you think they would've looked into that? I wouldn't have."

It was quiet for a while. "F^ck." Emmett cussed. I was still sobbing. "That was Dad's first case after. If it was him...he'll never let that go. It'll kill him." He gently rubbed my back and tried to calm me down. "Bella, it's okay, sweetie. It's going to be just fine."

"I don't want to remember." I cried. The images repeated over and over in my head. "Make it stop." Emmett just hugged me tighter and I could feel him crying a little bit too.

"I'm so sorry," Emmett whispered over and over again. "I'm so, so sorry."

I heard someone walk in the room but I didn't look up. "I just got here. What on earth happened?" Angela asked. Edward explained everything and then I felt her sit down on the bed. "Oh my gosh. Do you think it was really him?"

"Based on her reaction, yes. But it could also be someone with the same name." Edward sighed. Angela joined Emmett in caressing my back.

"Bella, honey, I'm going to go and call Kate and tell her about this. It's going to be okay." Angela said. She got up and left. I lost track of time as the scene repeated over and over in my head. Kate showed up at one point and sat with me and Emmett as he held on to me, never letting go once. Once I finally calmed down a bit, I looked up to see my four angels scattered around the room sleeping. I was still in my sleeping brothers arms and Kate, Edward and Angela were all sleeping in chairs around me.

It was already dark outside and it took me a while to realize that it was because I had woken up at six in the evening and that left me with about a half hour of light in my day. I didn't want to move and wake anyone up, so I just laid my head on Emmett's chest and listened to his heart beat. I though again of my tiny child living inside of me.

"Te amo, mi bebé amable." I whispered in Spanish again. It still confused me how I knew it, but it came so naturally. I'd have to ask Emmett about it later. "Mi ángel minúsculo. No se preocupe. Ahora estamos a salvo.."

"Where did you learn that?" A voice whispered behind me. It was Emmett.

"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I slept a lot today, I'm not that tired anyway. Where did you learn Spanish?"

"I was going to ask you the same question. Did we learn it as kids?"

"No. There wasn't even Spanish class at the high-school. I doubt anyone except those who took it in college know any other language at all."

"I can speak it easily. There's not even a hesitation to it. I could start talking right now in Spanish and it'd be about the same for me. That has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"I'm sure it does." He sat up and tapped Kate on the shoulder.

"Emmett, you didn't have to do that." I sighed. "It's okay, Kate, go back to sleep." She sat up and shook her head.

"That's not what I'm here for, Bella. I'm here for you, all of you." She glanced at Emmett. "What do you need?"

I sighed, feeling awkward. Being the focus of attention wasn't great. Emmett whispered the answer for me. "She can speak Spanish...fluently, without hesitation what so ever. She didn't learn it at home, though. What does this mean?"

Kate stood up and adjusted her clothes. "Well, it can mean many things. You might have spent time in Mexico or some other Spanish speaking region or your captor might have been Spanish or Hispanic. I will put it in the file and we will see if it helps."

I whispered, purposely in Spanish. "Te lo agradezco"

"De nada. Es por eso que estoy aquí." She smiled a little and patted my knee. "I'm going to go contact the detectives."

After a few minutes of sitting there quietly I sighed. "Have you talked to mom and dad?" I asked Emmett.

"I called them last night. They were all tears. They are so happy that you are okay."

"I feel awful. After all this time apart, now they still have to wait. It's not fair to them."

"Bella, we talked about this too. I explained everything and they told me that whatever pace you felt safe at, that what they are willing to go. They don't want to make you feel forced or trapped. It's all about you here, don't think about anyone else."

I nodded and sighed again. "Have you called Rosalie?"

"Not yet, I told her there was an emergency in Seattle and then I left."

"You need to call her. She is probably worried sick."

He chuckled. "What part of 'don't think about anyone else' didn't you hear?"

"I want her to have some peace. Call her now, please?" I looked in to his familiar eyes and waited until I saw him give in.

"Fine. What do you want me to tell her?"

"Everything, but at a pace that you think she can take it. Put it on speaker, too, I need to hear someone else's voice for a change."

Emmett pulled out his cell and hesitantly dialed Rosalie and then put it on speaker. When it started ringing, I glanced over at Edward who was still sleeping like a rock. He didn't even flinch at the sound.

"Oh thank goodness, Emmett. Is everything okay?" Rosalie answered.

"Everything is..." He looked at me. "Everything is great."

"What happened? What was the emergency? Was it about the case?" Her last question came slower and with a little more dread.

"It was. But it was good news, it's okay."

"Emmett..." He voice was weary and I could hear the tears creeping up.

"She's okay." He said slowly. Immediately, she started sobbing. "Shh, it's okay, Rose. Everything is okay. I've got her, Bella is safe now." We let her cry for a while. Finally, she was ready to talk.

"Where is she? How is she? Is she okay? Did they catch the guy that took her? Have you gotten a chance to talk to her?" The questions fire out like bullets.

"One at a time, sweet heart. Bella is okay. She can't remember most anything but it's coming back little by little. She remembered me but not mom and dad. They haven't caught him yet but we have a few leads that might help us. We are at the hospital where they are keeping her until she is stable and healthy enough to leave. She is skin and bones, Rose." He looked at me apologetically.

"Oh my, gosh. I'm so sorry Emmett, I feel so responsible. Are you with her?"

"Rosalie, you are not responsible at all. It is all his fault, the disgusting creep that took her, not any of our faults. And yes, she's right here. She is the one that told me to call you." He looked at me and I nodded.

"Rosalie?" I asked. She started crying again. "Rosalie, it's okay. I don't really remember you very much, but I've heard a lot about you from Emmett and I believe you are a wonderful person. You kept my brother from falling apart throughout this mess. I don't blame you at all. You are not at fault here, you are a life saver. Thank you." She was still crying. "I know it's a lot to take in. Trust me, my head has been spinning since I woke up. If it wasn't for Emmett and Edward, I'd have spiraled out of control."

"Edward? Edward who?"

"Edward as in your cousin, Edward. He was with her the first day and a half. He held her together before we got here. He didn't know who she was though, not until I showed up and he realized that Bella was Bella Swan."

"That's so crazy." She whispered.

"We're working it o..." I suddenly felt an odd movement in my stomach. I immediately clutched my small but clearly visible baby bump. Emmett stopped mid sentence and looked at me. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Something is wrong." I said quietly.

"Is everything okay?" Rose asked.

"I felt something move. This shouldn't happen this early, something is wrong." I shook my head.

"I'll go get Angela. Stay put." Emmett said and jumped off the bed and hurried out.

"Bella? Are you still there? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I felt something move...I'm only three months...they said I wouldn't feel anything for a while."

"Wait, you're pregnant?"

"Three months."

She didn't miss a beat, although I'm sure she was shocked. "Bella, take a deep breath. It's okay. Pregnancies can vary, everyone is different. Just because...Bobbie Sue over there didn't feel any movement until 16 weeks, doesn't mean that you can't. Some people feel it as early as 13 weeks. It just depends on the situation. No matter what, the doctors will take care of you any way. You are going to be okay. You have made it this far, you have survived hell. You and your baby are gladiators; you can make it through anything."

When she finished, I was crying. Not because of fear, but because of what she said. She was so quick and supportive. Just then, Emmett and Angela came in.

"Alright, Bella, are you in any pain? Discomfort?" She asked. I shook my head. "I'm going to take you up to get an ultrasound."

"I'm coming." Emmett said.

"Rosalie is still on the phone, you need to talk to her, Emmett. Angela can go with me."

"Bella, I..." Just then, Edward woke up.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I am taking Bella up to get an ultrasound real quick. She felt some movement and we just want to make sure everything is okay."

Edward looked at me protectively. "I'm going with you."

"See, Emmett, Edward's going, you need to talk to your wife. I'm okay." I tried to reassure Emmett that I was okay. I wanted him and Rosalie to talk about things. They had been through a lot and they needed each other.

"Bella, the last time I left you, I lost you for 14 years. That's not going to happen again. I'm not going to let you slip through my fingers again. Absolutely not." His eyes were welling up with tears and I couldn't say anything so I just nodded my head. He quickly said goodbye to Rosalie and then he joined us to go up for the ultrasound.

On the way up the elevator, I held on to Emmett tightly. The grip he had on me was tight, but not uncomfortably so. The elevator door opened and we walked about three feet to the room where I had first seen my little baby.

Edward hesitated by the door. I looked at him. "Come in here. You are just as much a part of my life now as anyone else in the room."

I lay down on the table I exposed the small lump that my stomach had become. I was surrounded. Emmett was on one side holding my hand, Angela on the other and Edward was standing at my shoulder gently rubbing my arm. The doctor came in and spread the jelly on my abdomen and started to glide the sensor around. When the image appeared on the screen and the soft beat of his heart filled the room, all the hands on me tightened a little. All I could hear was the sound of his healthy heart.

"Your little guy is just fine." The doctor said after a few seconds of checking my baby boy. "Early detection of movement isn't unheard of. It usually happens in mothers that have had more than one pregnancy because their body is more sensitive and alert for movement and such. In your situation because of everything that happened I think that it is perfectly fine to be feeling movement this early."

I smiled. "Thank you." I looked over at Emmett and silent tears were falling down his cheek. I squeezed his hand. "Are you okay?" His eyes were glued to the screen that was still displaying his nephew.

"Yeah." He whispered. "I just...he's so... He's so real."

I had apparently started crying – not really sure when or why – but when I laughed it was a teary laugh. "I know. He's right there. My little trooper." Angela wiped the jelly off of my stomach and we all walked back to my room.

Kate was waiting for us when we got back. "I talked to the detectives about the Spanish and they said that you may have picked it up along the way. They are expanding their search for your captor to the southern regions of the United States and down into Mexico. If you were conscious at points throughout the time you were gone – which is pretty much assumed at this point – then you could've easily picked up on things."

"I thought that she was drugged though." Emmett asked, clearly confused.

"Well, yes, she was, but that doesn't mean for the whole time. If the drugs had a high enough potency to wipe out her memory from age seven back they could've easily kept her conscious for days or weeks on end and then cleared the slate. It all depends on the dosage and frequency of the drugs." Kate explained. Emmett nodded and pulled me closer to him.

"That means there might be more memories. More pain." I whispered. Emmett pulled me closer and Kate gave me an apologetic look.

"It's going to be okay, Bella. Not all the memories have to be bad. And when they are you will have us here. We are not going to let you do anything else on your own." Edward said. He had been quiet for a while and I almost forgot he was there. I looked up at him and smiled a weak smile.

"I know." And then I thought for a second. "But Edward, you are living here and working here, eventually I'm going to go h...home and – then what?"

"I'll come home too. Esme and the rest of everyone have really been missing Forks anyway. Carlisle and I just came here for a few months because they needed someone to cover for a doctor that had a baby and I was already doing part of a residency here so we just moved here. I'm finishing in a few weeks but I can take a week or two off until you get settled. If you want me to."

"No, Edward. You aren't leaving your life here for someone you just met. You aren't putting off your career for me."

"Bella," Edward ducked down into my gaze so that I had to look at him. "I didn't just meet you. I spent a lot of time at Rose's house. Every summer we all played together in the creek behind your house. We would spend hours at a time playing hide n' seek. I would always try to find you first because I didn't like not knowing where you were." He paused for a few seconds choking back emotion at the terrible irony of the situation. The lump in my throat was growing. "I had the biggest crush on you when I was little, Bella. I had it all planned out. I was going to marry you when we were seventeen - I didn't really know the normal marriage age - and we were going to live in a small house with Emmett on one side and Rose on the other.

"You aren't just some random girl that I happened to run across on my way to breakfast. You are special, Bella. And I would gladly take a week or two off to make sure that you were coping with returning home after fourteen years."

I had no words to respond to what he had just told me; and even if I did, I wouldn't have been able to say them without sobbing. The room was frozen for a couple seconds and then I closed my eyes and turned away from him, trying not to cry. I didn't want to look weak, so I slowly walked into the hallway, went a few feet down the hall, sat down and lost it in the middle of the hallway.

A million thoughts were racing through my head. Why couldn't I remember this person...these people who had such a huge impact on my life? Why did someone – Dmitri – take all of this away from me? Did Edward still feel that way about me? Am I ready to feel like that? Am I ready to have an emotional-romantic relationship with someone?

All of these questions made me cry more. I didn't want to disappoint anyone any more that I already have, but I was pretty sure that I wasn't ready for that kind of a relationship with anyone; and I couldn't see Edward as anything more than my absolute best friend right now. This was all too much to process.

After who knows how long, maybe five minutes – maybe more, Angela came out and sat next to me. She didn't say anything, she just sat there and put her arm around me and rocked side to side.

When I calmed down enough to breath steadily, I leaned my head against her shoulder.

"Tell me." I whispered.

"Tell you what, Bella?"

"How well did you know me before I was taken?" I sat up and looked her in the eyes. "I just want to know."

She nodded. "Well, we were in the same class. We were pretty good friends. Not like best-friends-forever-until-we-die or anything but we talked a lot and played together at recess. I spent the night at your house a few times. That's pretty much it."

I took a deep breath and nodded. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks. I stood up. "I need to be stronger than this. I can't have a mental breakdown every time that I find out something about my past. I have to learn to take it. Because I have twenty one years of life to reclaim, that's a lot of memories."

"Bella, you ARE strong!" Angela shook her head. "You are taking all of this so well. Sure, there are times when it's overwhelming, but no one would expect any more out of you! You are just fine. Eventually you will find a way to handle all of the realization, but for now, don't try to contain it. You are allowed to break down whenever you want."

I just nodded and started walking back to the room. Edward was sitting in the chair by the window holding his head in his hands. I motioned for Emmett and Angela to give us a minute and they willingly obliged. Edward looked up when he heard the door close and me sit down on the bed. He looked at me and stood up.

"Bella..."

"Don't. Don't do whatever you are going to do here. Because it sounds like the start of an apology and that's not what I want."

He just nodded. I opened my arms in gesture for a hug and he consumed me in one.

"I need to know..." I whispered. "Do you still..." He cut me off and pulled back so he could look at me.

"Bella, you are a magnificent, beautiful woman who is stronger than anyone that I know. You have been through so much over the past few days and you are handling it impeccably. That being said, I haven't thought about you in any way other than as a wonderful friend that was given back as a miracle. No one is ready to think any further ahead than that." Edward smiled and hugged me again.

"Thank you." I whispered. "I just...I can't. Not yet." Just then, Emmett came to the door and looked through the glass and pointed to the phone. I motioned for him to come in.

"Bells, I don't want to rush you into anything. You pick the pace, remember, but Mom and Dad are on the phone. They want to know when they can see you again."

I buried my face in my hands and let out a deep breath. "They can come now." I said.

**REVIEW! If I'm going to keep up daily updates, I'm going to need some more ideas! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I am sorry. I really didn't mean for it to take almost three weeks for an update. I got really busy and got a little stuck in the story. Plus, I'm not going to update unless it is a well written, decent length chapter. I'm not going to put up filler chapters. So, as I will try to update regularly, I am just to that organized and it most likely won't happen. The only thing I can promise is that if you stick with me, the updates will come and they will be worth it (well, I certainly hope you think so). Sorry that I didn't update sooner.**

Through the next twenty minutes I took a shower, changed in to a cuter pair of clothes, and insisted that Angela help me do my hair and put on some make up that I made Emmett go buy from the gift shop. They all argued with me that I looked great just the way I was and that they were my parents so they wouldn't care, but I insisted. I wanted to look presentable at the least. When I was done, I looked...okay. I looked a little more awake and alive, but I was still extremely malnourished looking.

"You look great, Bella." Angela said. I looked in the mirror again and shrugged.

"Thank you, for helping me, Angela. I just feel so insecure..."

"Bella, don't. You are gorgeous." I just gave up arguing and opened the bathroom door. Edward and Emmett were sitting in chairs talking. They both looked up and smiled.

"You look beautiful, Bella." Emmett smiled.

"Agreed. You are gorgeous." Edward said.

"How much longer will they be?" I asked Emmett. I was so nervous that I was shaking.

"Any minute now. It's going to be okay, Bella. They don't expect anything from you. They just want to see you." I nodded nervously and started pacing. One thousand six hundred fifty two steps later, there was a light tapping on the glass door. I froze and spun around. It was just a nurse.

"There is a Mr. and Mrs. Swan here to visit. Should I send them in?" She asked, looking straight at me. My stomach lurched but I managed to nod in agreement.

Then, they appeared. My heart nearly stopped. Emmett got up quickly and opened the door. Giving them both long hugs as they came in. Once they were both through the doors, we stood there – just looking at each other.

"Hi, Mom." I whispered. She smiled a shaky smile – obviously trying her hardest not to cry. I wouldn't have minded but I also understood.

"Hi, baby." She whispered. As I walked forward and gave her a hug, I didn't really know what I was doing; I just sort of did it. I'm not really sure who started crying first but someone did and then it was like a chain reaction. Within a few seconds everyone in the room was crying. It was that type of cry when you aren't necessarily sad, it's just too much emotion to handle and you just lose it. Dad joined in the hug and we just stood there holding each other. I still couldn't remember, but it just felt right.

After everyone calmed down, we dispersed the hug and I sat down on the bed. Edward took his chair and Emmett's and set them down closer to the bed so that Mom and Dad could sit down. It was kind of awkwardly quiet for a while, so I decided to speak up.

"So...I can feel him move now." I said awkwardly. They looked surprised and a little confused so I explained. "My baby. I can feel him move. It's earlier than usual, but they said that it's okay."

"Oh." Mom smiled but she was obviously uncomfortable. "That's great."

"Sorry, I know you guys are still getting used to the fact. I shouldn't have just..."

"Bella, it's fine." Mom looked me in the eyes and smiled sincerely. "This is all about you, not about us. Don't worry about anyone else. You just take care of you and your baby and don't worry about being anything else for anyone else."

I just nodded. Apparently I was going to have to get used to this whole 'don't worry about anyone else' ordeal because everyone seemed pretty adamant about it. It got quiet for a few minutes. No one really knew what to say. I started to fidget a little.

Edward spoke up – to my great relief. I didn't even care what he said, anything was better than this awkward silence. "So, does anyone know if the media knows anything yet?" He asked.

Kate, who showed up without me noticing, looked up. "They haven't been alerted yet. Eventually, we will release a statement so that everyone knows that this long search is over." She looked at me directly. "Not until you are ready though."

I hadn't even though about the media getting involved. It never even crossed my mind. "What will you tell them?" I asked. Being locked up since I was seven had taken a huge chunk out of my knowledge of certain things. As far as I remember I had never watched TV or listened to the radio, at least not when I was gone. I didn't know how detailed they would explain what happened to me. I didn't really want everyone knowing that I had been repeatedly raped for a third of my life. I didn't want them to know that I didn't remember my parents or my friends.

"We will probably say that after fourteen years in a living hell, you miraculously escaped your captor and got to safety. You were quickly transported to St. Josephs Hope Hospital in Seattle, Washington and that you are doing wonderful and have been safely reunited with your family. That's about it."

I nodded. "Oh. Okay." I didn't know how I felt about that yet. And then a thought hit me that made me want to puke. I flinched back a little.

"What's wrong?" Emmett, who was standing beside me reached out protectively. "Are you okay."

"What if…Dmitri..." I shuddered at his name. "What if he sees it and he comes after me again?" Emmett sat down next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Bells, sis, I'm never going to let that pedophile touch you again. If he even comes close, he better get ready to take his last breaths because I will do things to that...pathetic excuse for a human...that he will never imagine possible."

Kate glanced at Emmett and then looked back at me. "Once you are ready and we release a statement, you will have an officer with you at all times. Plus, most of the time, the criminals aren't willing to take another chance. You are free now."

I nodded and leaned against my brother's shoulder. Dad was frowning. "Wait a second...did you say Dmitri?" Emmett, Edward and I all looked at each other quickly. I looked at Kate for help; I couldn't be the one to tell him.

"Charlie," She started. Dad turned his head to her but kept his eyes on me until the last second. "Bella had a flash back. Edward was explaining about situations that had occurred after the abduction and talked about Dmitri Myles and that sparked a memory. We are pretty sure that her captors name is Dmitri."

He sat, stunned for a second and then dread washed over his face. "You don't think..."

"We are considering all possibilities at this point." She answered his question before he finished asking it, sparing him the pain of saying the words out loud. Immediately, his hands flew to his mouth and he started shaking his head.

"No. It couldn't be. No." Dad put his head down and yelled. "NO!" Then he looked up again. Mom put a hand over his. She had tears running down her cheeks but they weren't that noticeable.

"Charlie, there is no definite answer yet. It may be an entirely different situation, but we are looking in to the fact that the Dmitri Myles might have faked his death."

Both parents started crying again. The held each other and sobbed. I had no tears left to cry, so I just looked over at Edward.

'Do you want to go eat?' I mouthed. I just realized that I was really hungry. He nodded and stood up. I told Emmett where we were going and told him to stay so that when they calmed down they weren't alone.

When Edward and I were out in the hallway, I let out a huge sigh.

"You did great, Bella." He said. I just shrugged as we entered the elevator. The ride down was short.

"I just don't even know how to deal with this. It's too much!" I sighed as the doors opened.

"Bella, you are doing great. You are making more progress than anyone would have expected."

After we ordered out food and sat down, I made a decision. "I'm going to tell them to make the announcement." Edward looked up from his sandwich.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to tell Kate to tell the media. It might help right? I mean, if someone has seen me before maybe they can help track down where all I went. Or...if he comes back...they can catch him."

"Are you sure, Bella? Don't feel like you have to do this just because we talked about it."

"I want to. Anything that we can do to help find out who took me or where I went, we should do."

He smiled a little and patted my hand across the table. "Alright."

We ate our sandwiches quietly for the rest of the time.

"Hey, do you mind if we go up and see Carlisle for a minute? He doesn't know where I have been and I need to tell him that I'm not going to be around for a while."

"Of course, Edward." On the way up the elevator, I rested my head on Edward's shoulder and he put an arm around my waist. "Thank you so much for being here for me, Edward. I don't know what I would do without you right now."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Just then, the doors opened to a familiar level. This is where I found out that I was pregnant. Right as we got to the door of Dr. Cullen's office, Edward stopped and turned to me. "Do you mind if I tell him...about you?"

"Edward, how else would you explain to him what's been going on lately?"

"I just wanted to be sure." He turned toward the door and then turned back hesitantly. "Um, Bella..."

He didn't have to finish. "I'll wait for you right here." I said, and sat down on the floor. He smiled a thank you and then went in.

As I sat in the hallway I thought about the future. I realized for the first time that I would eventually have to leave these safe walls and go home. I had thought about it, but this was the first time that it had felt true. Home...what was home anymore? I only remembered it as the place that I had been taken. It felt like a place where I was doomed. I don't think that I could feel safe there if I tried.

I lost track of time while I thought about this but it couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes. Then, the door opened. Edward stepped out, followed by his father.

"Bella." Dr. Cullen whispered and then he smiled a very warm smile. "It's _very_ nice to see you again."

Edward helped me up from the floor. "I...you too." I wasn't really sure how I felt yet.

"It's okay." He smiled. "I know you don't really know who I am. Don't worry about it. Just the fact that you are here and safe is all that's important."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen." I smiled at his kindness.

"Please, Bella, call me Carlisle. Dr. Cullen is for my patients, you are more than that to our family."

I just nodded. Edward stepped closer. "We better be getting back to the room. Your parents are waiting."

"Alright."

"It was wonderful seeing you, Bella." Carlisle said. I nodded and said goodbye and then, once again, we hopped on the elevator.

Mom, Dad and Emmett were all sitting in the room talking when we got back. As soon as Dad saw me, he got up and hugged me.

"I'm so sorry, honey." He whispered.

"Dad, it's not your fault. It may not even be him." I reassured him. After a few seconds, we dispersed the hug and I looked for Kate. She was out in the hallway with some paperwork.

"Kate!" I called. She looked up and came over.

"What's up?"

"I want to put the announcement up. I think it could help. If someone knows something that could help us get closer to finding Dmitri or where I went."

"Are you sure? You don't have to rush in to anything." She asked, and I nodded.

"I want you to do this. I want to get it over with."

"Alright." She looked at her watch. "It's eleven o' clock in the morning now, so the announcement will probably be on the news at about noon, if I hurry. Is that okay?"

I nodded. The sooner the better. For the first time since I had been here, I realized that there was a T.V. on the wall in the room.

"Alright, then." Kate said. "I'm going to go tell the detectives to set up a press conference. I'm not sure if I will be back by the time it is on."

"Okay. Thank you, Kate." I smiled a bit and then she left. Once she was gone, Edward and I sat down and the six of us talked. Mostly about how I've been doing and about the baby. I showed Mom and Dad the ultrasound pictures. They were starting to warm up to the idea of me keeping him.

Before I knew it, it was almost noon.

"Hey, Emmett, turn on the news." I told him, he was closest to the remote. The T.V. sprung to life and Emmett flipped to a local news channel.

The breaking news banner flashed over the bottom of the screen and an image of a bunch of detectives flashed up. I recognized one of them from the police station where I had first seen Mom and Dad and Emmett. He stepped forward to the microphone.

"Child abduction is one of those tragedies that can hit a family and a community the hardest. It is like someone kills all of the light in everyone's life. Today, I am honored to report that one of those lights has been restored. Four days ago, Isabella Swan from Forks, Washington, escaped her captor of fourteen years and ran to safety. She was transported to St. Josephs Hope Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Bella is doing very well and has been reunited with her family." All of the reporters started going wild with questions. He pointed to one.

"Do you have any one in custody?"

"Not at this time. We have a few leads, but they are very small. Any help in relation to this case would be well appreciated. We believe that the captor may have traveled into the south western region of the country during the years that he held her, but there is no certainty." He called on another reporter.

"Do you have a description of the captor? Any idea who it is we are looking for?"

"No. The only lead we have in regards to the identity of the person that took Bella is the name Dmitri." He called on yet another reporter.

"When will she be able to go home?"

"We are not sure when we will be transporting Bella back to Forks. We will provide more information to you when we get it, thank you." The screen went back to the news station and they started talking about the situation. Emmett turned it off. It was quiet for a few seconds but then Kate came back.

"Sorry, I missed it." She said. "Did you see it?"

"Yeah. We just turned it off." I answered her. But I had a question. "When _should _I go home? I can't stay here forever, I know that."

"Well, we can do three things. You could stay here for another day or two and then go home, you could go home now, or you could transfer to Forks Hospital and then go home from there. Take your time to make a decision, there is no rush."

I nodded and thought about it. I knew that it seemed like I was always rushing in to every decision as soon as it popped up, and I was. I just wanted to keep my mind busy so that I didn't have to think about everything too much. I didn't want to dwell. I wanted to be busy. But at the same time, these walls were all that I knew. I'm not so sure that I could leave them and go to a new place. Home was so close to where I was taken, it scared me. As I pondered these options, I knew in my heart that I had made a decision already.

**There we have it, folks! Chapter six. Sorry again that it took so long. Like I said at the top. If you stick with me, I WILL update, it just might not be weekly like I originally hoped. Thank you for those of you that came back for this chapter and those of you who are just starting to read this story, I really appreciate your support. Tell me what you thought. Ideas for the next chapter will help me move along quicker! **** I'm thinking of doing a part of the chapter in Edward's POV but I'm not sure yet. Yes or no?**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter will be entirely in Edward's Point of View. I felt that it was necessary to see this from another angle. This probably won't be the last time this happens. Unless you guys tell me to stop. **

**EPOV**

The past few days had been a whirlwind. Not a day passed that I didn't see little Bella Swan and wonder where in this awful world was she. I kept a 'Have You Seen Me?' sign of her that I found in the paper one day during college, in my wallet and every day I had to silently answer her sweet picture 'No.' Until now.

It seemed like a year ago (although it was only a few days) that I came across this frail looking, dirty young woman on my way to breakfast. Not in a million years did I know that I was seeing Bella for the first time in fourteen years. Even now I have to remind myself that this is real. I'm so terrified that I am going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream.

The announcement about Bella's escape had aired less than an hour ago and my phone was already starting to spring to life. Finally after 43 texts and 5 missed calls, I decided it was time to take one of them. Alice happened to be the lucky caller. I excused myself from the room and went into the waiting area.

"Hey Alice."

She was crying, but she tried to make it unnoticeable. "Edward...I need to...are you sitting down?"

"Ali, I know what you are going to say already; and I know. I should've called you sooner; I was just so focused on her that I forgot."

"What do you mean? Edward...what all do you know?"

"A lot more than they said on the news." I sighed. "Are _you_ sitting down?"

"Tell me what you know? How long have you known that she was okay? Have you seen her?"

"Ali, slow down. I saw her first. Well, I didn't know that it was her at the time, but I saw her before the ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. I went on to work and ran in to her again. It wasn't until Emmett showed up that I realized that Bella was _Bella_."

"How is she? Is she okay? Can I come and see her? Where are you?" She fired off questions like a machine.

"Bella is okay. She's doing better and better every day. She is so skinny though. It looks like she hasn't eaten in a while. I'm not sure about visiting. Probably not, not yet. It's really complicated. Renee and Charlie just got to see her. It's a mess. We are still at the hospital, but it's up to Bella how long we stay."

"What do you mean it is complicated? Why are they just seeing her?"

I sighed heavily and sat down. "Whoever took her wiped out everything from her memory. They drugged her so heavily that she didn't even know her last name. That's why it took so long to put together who she was. She doesn't remember her parents or her life at all. She kind of remembers Emmett and she had a flashback, but that is it."

"Oh, my gosh." She whispered. "Is that why there is no description of him?"

"The only thing she remembered is the name Dmitri. I was telling her about when Dmitri Myles died after she disappeared and she blacked out and then started freaking out. They are looking in to the possibility that he faked his death."

"Are you serious? That's terrifying!"

"I know. There is no for sure yet, obviously. I mean, it's just a name so far."

"Still, it gives me the chills. How are Charlie and Renee holding up?"

"They are okay, I guess. Like I said, this is the first time they have _really _got to see each other. It's hard, but she's back, so that's all that really matters."

"Yeah, Mom wants to talk to you, so I guess I'll call you later." Before I got to say bye, Mom was on the phone.

"Oh, Edward!" She cried.

"Mom, it's okay. She's okay." I said. The next thirty minutes consisted of me basically repeating what I had told to Alice to Mom, but just with a lot more crying and details. Eventually, Emmett came to the window of the waiting room and peeked in.

"Mom, I have to go now. Emmett needs to talk to me. I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Alright, Edward. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye." I hung up and then motioned for Emmett to come in. He opened the door and sat down with a sigh, putting his head in his hands. I let him sit for a few minutes.

"What's up, Emmett?" I finally asked quietly.

"Did you talk to Esme?" He asked, avoiding my question. I nodded. "Good, she needs to know more than they said on the news; she was so wonderful to everyone after it all happened."

"Emmett, what's wrong?" He looked at me. I wasn't dropping it, he seemed so distraught. He looked back down and sighed.

"It's just so much. I mean, no matter how many times everyone tells me that it's not my fault, I was the one that told her to leave my side and go hide behind the bush. I put her there."

"Emmett, we all feel like it is our fault. In some way. There is no way that you could have assumed that this was going to happen. One person is at fault here and that is the one person that took her."

"I know, I just..." He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know. I know." It got really quiet and I began to flashback to the day of the party again. This was something I did almost every day.

_(Flashback)_

"Let's play hide 'n' seek!" Rose shouted and every one cheered. "Who wants to be it?" Now, no one said a word.

"Not it!" Someone yelled, which led to an outburst of 'not it's' until one person was left. It was Ben, a kid in my class, but I didn't really know him very well.

"I'm counting to fifty!" He shouted and then covered his eyes. "1...2...3...4..." We all scattered. In the mess of it all, I lost track of Bella. I really wanted to hide by her.

I ran around looking for a place to hide. Ben was still counting. "37...38...39..." I scanned the area looking for Bella. Finally, I caught a glimpse of her. Her bouncy, brown pigtails flying through the wind. She flashed me a smile and my heart skipped a beat. I started to run towards her. "47...48...49..." I leaped behind the nearest tree, sad that I didn't get to hide with my best friend. Even though she was a year younger than me, I was pretty sure that I loved her. "Ready or not! Here I come!" Bella was so cute, and she was always so kind.

Ben started searching for people. He found some people right off the bat; those who were hiding under a table or behind a tiny tree. The rest of us were more experienced. Bella, Emmett, Rose and I would play hide 'n' seek from the moment the sun rose to the moment it set. We considered ourselves professionals.

Every time we played and I was it, I made sure to find Bella first. Not knowing where she was drove me crazy. Suddenly, Ben came around the tree.

"Gotcha!" He yelled, and then ran off to find someone else. I went to the group of kids that had already been found, which consisted of almost everyone except Rose, Emmett and Bella. Eventually, Emmett came running up, soon followed by Rose. Then Ben came back, too.

"Did I find everyone?" He asked.

"You didn't find Bella yet!" I told him and he frowned.

"I looked everywhere! Where could she be?"

"You just gotta find her! She is one of the best hiders!" I smiled. I was proud of Bella. She came up with the most creative hiding places. Ben shook his head and went back. He was gone for a long time, but then he came back to us again.

"I can't find her. She's too good. She wins." He shook his head. The three of us – Rose, Emmett and I – high fived.

"Come on! We gotta go tell her!" Rose said and we all ran off.

"Bella! You won!" We yelled. There was no response.

"Come on, Bella! The game is over, Ben gave up!" I was so excited to tell her. She loved to win this game. She still didn't come out. This bothered me a little. I really hated not knowing where she was, even though I knew that it was just part of the game.

We all started looking for her and calling for her to come out. After a while, some adults got involved.

"Bella, come out right this second or you are grounded!" Charlie hollered. We waited a few minutes and there was no response. By this time my stomach was churning. Something was wrong. "Isabella Marie Swan! If you don't come out now, I'm calling the police!" Charlie, being a cop himself, didn't make that threat often, so it meant serious business.

When she didn't come out, I wanted to puke. Renee was freaking out as Charlie got on his phone. He was in full police mode. Within a few seconds, everything spiraled into chaos. All of the town's police cars flew up and all of us kids whose parents hadn't already taken them home, were ushered into a pavilion and put under watch of Jasper – Rose's brother – since he was 15 and the oldest one around.

"What's going on?" Someone asked.

"Well," He started off, but didn't know how to finish. He was clearly upset. Everyone loved Bella; with her, it was as if God bottled up all of the sunshine's happiness and put it in to the form of a little girl. "I'm not really sure just yet. But it's going to be okay."

Emmett was standing at the front. "I need to go!" He demanded. "I'm going to go find her!" He tried to push through Jasper, but Jasper held him back.

"Em, it's okay. The police and all of the adults will find her. It will be easier on them if they know that you are safe, too." Jasper reassured him. Emmett slumped down and buried his head in his knees. His shoulders started shaking like he was crying. Jasper patted him on the back. "She will be okay, Em. They'll find her."

Everyone was really quiet. Bella's name rang out through the woods and park as everyone called. Everyone's parents eventually showed up to take their kids away, which left Jasper, Rose, Alice, Emmett and me. Despite the wide range of ages, we were all extremely close with each other. Rose, Alice and Bella were practically sisters and Jasper, Emmett and I were like brothers.

We sat huddled together until the sun went down. Most of the time we were either crying or reassuring ourselves ad each other that she was okay and that they would find her. But once the sun went down and the search had been going on for five hours, we all pretty much knew what had happened. My mom finally showed up to take us home.

"Jasper and Rose, I'm taking you guy's home with us." She said. "Emmett, you Mom and Dad are going to keep the search up, for a little while, I'm taking you with us too, but they said that they will come and get you as soon as they get done, okay?" She was doing everything she could to keep from crying. Emmett just nodded and went to our car. The rest of us followed and sat in silence on the way home.

Usually, everyone going home together meant a super fun night, but it meant nothing without Bella. We all went in and went to the living room and sat on the floor. No one spoke, but we all cried a little. I was terrified.

Bella, the one that I couldn't stand not to know where she was, was gone for real. This time, she wasn't just hiding under a pile of leaves or at the top of the oak tree, she was really missing. I honestly wanted to throw up. My best friend in the whole world was missing, and I couldn't do a thing about it.

After about three hours, a very distraught Charlie came to the door. Emmett ran up and hugged him and started crying again. After they left, the four of us went to bed. I couldn't sleep, neither could anyone else. We were all so scared.

In the morning, Mom made breakfast.

"Are you guys going to be okay if I go and help look again? I won't leave if you want me to stay. I'll understand." She asked. We all agreed that the more people looking, the better chances we had of finding Bella, so we told her to go.

The day dragged on. Someone called the house every hour to make sure that we were all okay. At 6:00 in the evening, Mom came home and sat us all down.

"What happened?" I asked. Something was different and she wasn't coming out with it easily.

"The police found one of Bella's hair bows." She said. "It was about a mile into the woods. They have..." Mom sighed and a tear ran down her cheek. "They have officially declared this a kidnapping." As the words sank in, I couldn't take it. I ran to the bathroom and puked. When I came back, everyone was sobbing.

Mom pulled me in to a big hug and we cried.

"She'll be okay, Edward. They will find her. She will be okay."

_(End Flashback)_

Tears were running down my face and when I opened my eyes, I realized that I was back in the waiting room. Emmett and I both stood up and hugged.

"We finally got her." He whispered. "She's really back."

**What did you think? Now, last chapter got – wait for it – ZERO reviews! **** I really look forward to hearing what you all think. Let's shoot for at least 4 this time! Please! **** Let me know what you thought of the flashback and I need ideas for the next chapter. Seriously, I'm a little stuck. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so maybe I can hold on to weekly updates!? I have worked really hard to get this finished and to a decent length in the amount of time I did. I hope you like it and I thank you all dearly for coming back for yet another chapter. This chapter is also back to Bella's point of view, just FYI.**

BPOV

Kate went to get food for everyone, Edward had left to go talk on the phone and not to long after; Emmett went to look for him. That left Angela, Mom, Dad and I.

"I'll give you guys a minute." Angela smiled and left. Now it was down to just the three of us. There really wasn't anything to talk about. I didn't remember anything so we couldn't talk about current events or anything in the past, and all there was to talk about now was the baby and going home.

I got off the bed and was looking out the window. Out of nowhere, I didn't even know that I was going to say it, I blurted out "I want to go home."

Mom and Dad both looked at me and Mom nodded. "If that's what you want."

I smiled. It felt strange to smile but frowning all the time was starting to depress me more and more. "It is. I can't move forward in this hospital. Sure it is safe, but I can't live here forever. I am twenty one years old and pregnant. No matter what has happened to me, life is coming up quickly behind me and to face the facts, I'm not at all ready."

"Bella, you don't have to..." I cut Dad off.

"Yes, I do. If I ever want to move forward with my life, if I want to get past this, I have to try. As hard as it might be and as long as it will take, I want to get over this. Think about it, I am going to me a mother in six months! A mother!" Mom looked like she was going to cry, and in reality, I wanted to, but I didn't let myself. "I can't sit here and dwell all day long for the rest of my life. Some evil, evil man took a lot from me. He took A LOT, but he doesn't get anymore. He doesn't get to take away the rest of my life. So I want to go home, just to show that I can take a step forward. I'm not saying that it isn't going to hurt, but I'm going to do it anyway, because if I don't, I never will and then that sick disgusting monster wins."

Both Mom and Dad's faces were soaked with tears but they were smiling. "You are the most amazing person that I have ever seen." Dad said. "You are a miracle."

I went back to looking out the window while Mom rattled on about things she had to do at home to make sure that it was perfect. I zoned out, but it was calming to hear her voice. Even though I still didn't remember them from the past, they truly felt like my parents. There was just a protective, maternal/paternal sensation about them.

Kate came back with a tray of sandwiches for everyone. It seemed like Edward and I had just eaten a few minutes ago. I looked at the clock and it had already been hours. Emmett, Edward and Angela were right behind Kate, ready to eat. Once everyone was eating I decided it was time.

"I'm going home." I said. "I'm as ready as I will ever be. I don't want to take time to think about it or anything. I want to go home and I want to go soon."

Kate looked at Mom and Dad and they smiled and shrugged. "Alright. Then that is what we will do. When do you want to go?"

"As soon as possible."

"Tomorrow? Tonight would be rushing it a little bit. It is already 5:30, if we left now it would be 10:30 when we got there, that seems a little late but it is up to you."

"Tomorrow is good. I want to see everything. If something will make me remember, I want to see it. And if not, I want to start to make new memories. I want to start to learn what I need to for the baby and get as accustomed to _life _as possible so that when he comes I can focus on him more." I was determined to get as far as I could before he came. No part of me thought it would be anything near easy, but nothing would be easy. If I'm going to struggle, I want to do it and get something out of it.

Kate looked at me and shook her head in awe. "You are really something. I've never met anyone like you, Bella. You are one of a kind. I will make arrangements to leave first thing in the morning."

"Thank you, Kate." She nodded and took her sandwich off to call people, making sure that we could go home tomorrow.

Even though it was only seven o' clock by the time we were done eating and talking, I was really tired. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, to say the least.

"Guys, I'm going to go to bed." I announced.

"Good idea. You want to be all rested up for tomorrow." Angela smiled and gave me a hug. Edward was next. He consumed me in his strong, stable arms.

"Have a wonderful sleep Bella." He whispered.

"I'm going to miss you tomorrow." I sighed. Edward had been here from the beginning and He made me feel so safe. I was really going to miss having him around to reassure me about everything.

"Bella," He stepped back and looked in my eyes. "I was not joking when I said that I was coming with you. I have spent fourteen years waiting and wondering about you, there is no way on earth that I am going to let you leave without me coming with you. I already told my dad that I was going to go and he said that it wouldn't be a problem. Having a highly ranked father in the hospital really comes in handy when I really need it to. This is one of those times."

I gave up arguing. Obviously it wasn't going to get me anywhere. "Okay." He hugged me again and then I turned to Emmett.

"I'm staying here." He said. "They are bringing me a cot to sleep on. That way you aren't alone and Mom and Dad are going to be given a room next door to you. There aren't many patients on this floor. I already got everything cleared through Angela."

I smiled and nodded. If he would have left I would have survived but I was really glad that he was staying. Mom and Dad gave me a hug and went to their room and then I took a shower. It took all of my control to not keep showering – I still felt so dirty and disgusting – eventually Emmett knocked on the door.

"Bella, are you okay in there?" He asked. I had salty tears pouring out of my eyes but I tried to not let that seep into my voice.

"I'm okay. I'm almost done." I lied. I could keep showering for hours and I wouldn't feel clean. He didn't say anything for a few minutes and then there was another knock.

"Bella, honey, I'm coming in." Mom said. I couldn't respond. I was too upset. The door opened softly and she walked to the edge of the shower and turned the water off. My hands were shaking as I dropped the washcloth and started sobbing. The shower curtain parted just enough for Mom to hand a towel to me. She didn't tell me to calm down or anything, she just sat there and let me cry; and I was thankful. I just sobbed and sobbed, wrapped up in a towel on the shower floor.

After I started to not be able to breathe, she started trying to calm down. "Shh," She whispered, stroking my hair. "It's going to be okay." Eventually, I got down to a light cry and decided to get out of the shower. I tightened my towel under my armpits and stepped out. Mom stood up and wrapped me up in her arms. "You are going to be okay, Bella."

"I just feel so...dirty." I cried. Mom was being really strong. You could tell that she had been crying a little, but for the most part, she held it together for me.

"I know, baby, I know. It will go away eventually; you just have to keep holding on." She handed me my pajamas and I got dressed. Then she handed me something that I hadn't seen in...I don't even know when, I just knew what it was.

"I didn't know if they gave you one of these or not, but I picked you up one on the way here." Mom said as she handed me the toothbrush. I didn't even look to see if they had given me one. I had completely forgotten about it. Fourteen years of being locked up and no memory of anything else would do that to you.

For some reason, I laughed. I guess that I was just tired of crying, and it wasn't one of those 'it's really funny' laughs, it was more of an 'I don't know what to feel so I'll just laugh' laugh. "Wow." I said. "I don't even know if I know how anymore!"

Mom smiled a little. "Of course you do, it's one of those things that you just do. Once you learn it, you are set for life."

I put the toothpaste on it and started brushing my teeth for the first time in fourteen years – or so I assumed. The flavor of mint exploded in my mouth and I smiled. This was the most amazing feeling. Once I was done, I rinsed and looked at Mom and grinned.

"Thank you. So much."

"Bella, you don't have to thank me; the smile on your face is all I need." She smiled. "Now let's get you into bed. You need to rest up." We walked out and Emmett was sitting on his cot.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I grinned again.

"I got to brush my teeth." He smiled and hugged me. I got in to bed and Mom kissed my forehead.

"I love you, baby girl." She whispered with tears in her voice.

"I love you too, Mom." It oddly didn't feel weird. She was my mom and I knew it, I didn't need memories to back me up. On her way out of the room, she turned off the light and within a second or two I was asleep.

I dreamed about going home. Except in my dream home was a huge castle and everyone that I knew (a whole what, six people?) were knights and I was a princess and when we went home, there was a huge feast and everyone ate until we had gained sixty pounds. That was it.

I woke up to a light hustle and bustle. I listened, but I didn't open my eyes.

"I can't believe that we are actually doing it. We are finally getting to take her home." Emmett whispered.

"I know. This is going to be a wild day. It's a good thing we all got a decent rest, we're going to need it." Edward whispered back.

"Maybe now I'll be able to get some actual sleep at nights. I don't think any of us have slept well for fourteen years." Emmett sighed. "It's just so surreal."

Before Emmett got to answer, the door slid open quietly and someone slipped in. "Is she still asleep?" It was Angela.

"Yeah. Good thing too, who knows what today will end up like." Emmett answered. I internally cringed. I was kind of excited, but mostly I was scared. I was scared that I would have more bad flashbacks. And at the same time, I was scared that I wouldn't remember anything good. One good memory, so I didn't have to keep saying that I didn't remember my parents or my friends.

"I don't think she's asleep." Edward whispered almost silently, but I still heard it. "Bella?" He asked a little louder, but not more that a soft whisper. I opened my eyes and rolled over to face them. I was still half-asleep.

"Good morning, sis." Emmett smiled. I yawned and sat up.

"When are we leaving?" I asked sleepily.

"Whenever you want, we don't have to pack much and Kate said that we can go whenever. It's all up to you."

I nodded. "I...never mind." I got up and went to put on my clothes for the day.

"Bella, what?" Edward asked.

"It's nothing." I shook my head and then looked at Angela. "Wait...I need to give these to you." I said holding up the clothes.

"Bella, you are keeping them. They are yours. That is the least that I can do for you." She said firmly, knowing that I would try to object. "I'm not taking them back. You need clothes; you aren't leaving here in shorts and a t-shirt." I nodded and picked out a long dark blue shirt and some flowery leggings and then went in the bathroom and got dressed.

When I came out, Emmett and Angela were talking about something. Edward stopped me.

"Bella..." I knew what he was going to say.

"Edward, it's not that important." I lied. He stopped me again.

"I know you better than that, Bella. I can see it on your face. What do you need?"

My hands went to my stomach and I sighed. "I want to see him one last time before we go." I whispered. "I just...I need to make sure that he is okay. That he is real."

"Of course, Bella." Edward hugged me. Every time I was around him I just felt safe. "Don't be afraid to say stuff like that. We are here to help you. All of us. I'm pretty sure every one of us would jump off of a bridge for you if you really asked us to."

"I would never..."

"I know. I'm just saying; we are here for you. You just have to tell us what you need." I simply nodded; I just really wanted to see my baby before we went home. Edward kind of sensed that, I think. "Okay, let's go then." I told Emmett that we were going to go up, but I asked him to stay and let Mom and Dad know where we went so they didn't have a panic attack. They were still asleep and if they woke up to find is gone, they might have just died. He un-willingly complied and Edward and I went to get the last ultrasound before we went home.

When we got there, we went to the front desk.

"Is Dr. Porter available?" Edward asked. She was the doctor that had done all of the other ultrasounds. The receptionist looked at a book and then frowned.

"Unfortunately, she had to take a personal day today. She will be back tomorrow though."

My stomach twisted; I really wanted to see him before I went home. I didn't know when the next time would be and I was really worried. I sighed and tried to hold back tears that were trying to escape. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but it was really important to me. Edward turned around just as a small tear slipped out. I tried to wipe it away before he saw, but it was too late.

"Bella." He sighed and hugged me. "You're forgetting something." I looked up at him confused.

"What?"

"I am a doctor, Bella. I mean I'm still doing my residency, but doing an ultrasound is really easy. I can do it." He said.

"Really?"

"Yes, Bella. Come on. Unless you don't want me to?"

"No, no, no, I want you to." Edward said something to the receptionist and then we went back in to a room. I got up on the table and lifted my shirt. Edward plugged in the machine and got the jelly.

"It's going to be cold." He said and smiled a little as he squirted the ice cold goo on my small baby bump. Gently, he moved the cursor over my abdomen. The light beating of my child's heart filled the room and the screen came to life, showing my little miracle.

"Is he okay?" I whispered. Edward looked for a second and then looked back.

"Bella, he is perfect. After all that you two have endured, you are both in miraculous shape."

"Thank you, Edward. For everything. From stopping on the street, to coming to see me everyday – even before you knew who I was, to doing all of this for me. I will never be able to thank you enough."

He shook his head and took my hand with his free one. "Bella, you being alive and here is all the thanks I need. I would do it all a million times over, plus more."

After he printed out some pictures for me, we went back down. By that time, everyone was up or back and in the room. Kate smiled and came over to us before we even reached the door.

"How are you doing this morning?"

"Good. I'm ready to go now." I said. "I got an ultrasound and now I'm set. When can we go?"

She smiled even more. "We can go right now. Now, there was another small press conference today letting people know that you are going home. We didn't give out any information as to when or where you live and we asked for them to keep their distance and respect your privacy; but there might be a lot of press attention when we leave. Just ignore them and stick by us. You'll be okay."

I nodded. We walked back to the room and Angela came up. "I can't go back with you today, unfortunately. But, I will hopefully make it home by the end of the week." She said. I hugged her.

"Thank you so much, Angela. I'm pretty sure that without you, I would have fallen apart and probably wouldn't have made it through the night the first night. You are an angel."

"Oh, Bella. You know I would do it again for you. You just take care of your baby and let everyone help you out, okay? Don't put too much on yourself. Okay?" I nodded and turned to everyone that was going with me.

"Are you guys ready?" I asked. Everyone either nodded or said yes, so we left.

"I already have everyone's things in the car, so that way no one had to take anything." Emmett said. No one really answered; it just felt right to be quiet. Everyone was nervous, I think. I was terrified.

We got to the first floor and went outside. The cold air chilled my skin, but I liked it. It reminded me that I was real and that everything that was happening wasn't just a dream. Breathing was so much better in the fresh air than in the hospital. I smiled and admired all of the snow. It had melted off of the concrete, but the grass was still thickly covered. Mom grabbed my hand and held me close to her.

Kate led us to the van that we would be taking home. As we rounded the corner to the parking lot, there were quite a few reporters. They didn't try and say anything – which I was grateful for, bet they took a lot of pictures and video and I got really self conscious.

"Ignore them, Bella." Dad said from behind me. And I tried to. I looked away and thought about home. I tried my hardest to remember what it looked like, but I couldn't. I got really frustrated and gave up. Just four more hours.

Finally, we made it to the van and we all got in. I sat in the back in between Emmett and Mom. Then, we were off. The ride went by dreadfully slow, but it was really pretty. After about two hours (half way) we stopped and took a bathroom break and then Emmett switched me spots so that I could sit by the window for the rest of the way.

The sights were beautiful. It was like I was seeing the world for the first time; and in a way I was. There were a bunch of small towns along the way. They all looked the same, until I saw one sign. That's when I knew everything was about to change. It read – in big bold yellow letters – 'Welcome to Forks.'

**This chapter actually made me cry while I was writing it. I got a little teary eyed last chapter, but for some reason, the whole scene about Bella brushing her teeth for the first time got to me. It's the little luxuries in life that you don't think about that really make a difference. I want to give a shout out to the six wonderful people who reviewed last chapter: TerryCherry, Indigo76, Oldove, Twisted Musalih, wishingstar1, and whoever reviewed as a guest. I really appreciate your support and encouragement. You have no idea how much the reviews push me to write more. Thank you guys!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry that it has been a little over a week since I updated. I had band camp the past two weeks and I have been insanely busy. I tried to take a little more time and make this one a little longer, so that is also partly why it's been a little longer. Quick shout out to **_**tmcash2274**_** for the great review! Thanks for the lovely words of encouragement!**

_The sights were beautiful. It was like I was seeing the world for the first time; and in a way I was. There were a bunch of small towns along the way. They all looked the same, until I saw one sign. That's when I knew everything was about to change. It read – in big bold yellow letters – 'Welcome to Forks.'_

I stopped breathing and tightened my grip on Emmett's hand. As we drove through the town, people lined the streets and clapped. Some of them were smiling, some of them were crying, but all of them were waving and clapping. I tried to take it all in, but I couldn't focus on everything; even though we were going extremely slowly. Eventually, the crowed died down as we left the main part of town. Edward looked back at Emmett and motioned for him to come forward then they whispered about something.

Emmett sat back and looked at me. "Bella...unfortunately, there is only one way to get home and to do that, we have to drive past the park. _The_ park." My stomach twisted into a thousand knots. "It's okay, Bella. You don't have to look at it. I will let you know when it's coming up and then just close your eyes for a second."

"Okay." I whispered. A few seconds passed and Emmett told me to close my eyes. I did, but at the last second, I looked up and out the window. I saw a small pavilion and a few benches, but that was it before we passed it. I didn't remember anything though.

Only a few minutes later, houses started to appear. Kate slowed as Dad pointed out where to go. The house was pretty, but worn and faded. The house was a dull off-white color. It looked like it may have been a little green at one point but had faded away. A white porch took up the front of the house and covered the blue door. As the car stopped, I had a sense of recognition, but no memories. Like, I could tell that I had seen this place before, but I couldn't tell you when or why.

"Welcome home, Bella. Welcome home." Dad said as I got out of the car. The air was crisp and cold, but I didn't notice as I walked to the...my house. I looked around. Next door was a pretty house, too. It looked about the same but the porch wrapped all the way around and it only had one floor. A man and a woman were standing on the porch crying and watching us. I looked at Emmett.

"It that Rosalie's house?" I asked him. He looked and nodded.

"Those are her parents. I will go and talk to them later. Right now, we need to get you inside."

We walked up the driveway and to the steps. I took each one carefully, taking it all in. This was home. I was leading the bunch so when I got to the door Dad handed me a key.

"If you want." He smiled. I nodded and unlocked my house for the first time in fourteen years. The blue door opened easily and I walked in, not hesitating any longer. The longer I waited, the longer I had to conjure up worries and scenarios. Everyone held back and let me take it all in first.

To my left a living room. There was a fireplace on the far wall and a couch in the middle of the room. And to my right was what looked to be a dining room/kitchen. It wasn't very large, but there were four chairs around a wooden table and a full kitchen behind it. Right in the middle was a flight of stairs.

As I started forward to them, Mom and Dad and Emmett came in. They stayed back, but close enough. On the wall of the stair case, there were pictures. Tons of pictures. Emmett graduating and getting married. This was the first time that I had seen a picture of Rosalie. She was beautiful. As I went on, Emmett got younger and younger until I was in them. It was if they had framed every single picture of me that they had and put it on this wall. I tried so hard as I looked at these, to remember the story behind them. There was one of Emmett, Edward, Rosalie and I all posing for a picture. I knew it was Edward by his face. He had aged, but hadn't changed much.

Finally, I reached the top of the stairs. Straight ahead was a bathroom and then there was a large room to my right. By the size of the bed I assumed it was Mom and Dad's room. Emmett's old room was next. The walls were blue and sports themed. I was practically empty. There was only one more door on this floor and I froze when I saw it.

For the first time I looked back at my family. "Is that..."

"That's your room, Bella." Mom whispered.

"Can I go in?"

"Of course." She smiled a little but she was also crying. "It's your room." I continued down the hall, turned on the light and slipped in the room. It was as if they hadn't touched it. The covers on the bed were pushed back like someone had just woken up. Toys were scattered across the floor and there was a pair of pajamas on the bed, just waiting to be put on that evening.

I realized that I was holding my breath and I let out a gush of air. My face was soaked. I sat down on the floor and cried until I lost track of time.

The purple walls seemed to scream out at me, 'You're home, Bella. You are safe.' Eventually, the atmosphere calmed me down. I stood up, adjusted myself and went out of the room. I heard voices down stairs. Edward and Kate had come in and everyone was talking softly in the kitchen. When I came in they stopped taking and looked at me.

I went and stood in between Emmett and Edward. No one said anything for a few seconds. "I still don't remember." I whispered. "I recognize stuff, but I couldn't tell you where it came from, when I saw it or anything about it."

"Bella, that's okay. Recognizing it is a start. It's just going to take time. Don't try too hard." Kate reassured me. I nodded and sat down on a stool and looked at Emmett.

"Have you called Rosalie?" I asked him.

"Not yet. I will later."

"Emmett." I looked straight into his eyes. "Call her now. Tell her to come here. I want to meet her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Emmett. She is your wife and apparently my best friend. I want to know who she is." I told him. "Call her."

"Okay." He got out his phone and left the room. Not but two minutes later, he was back. "She is on her way. She'll be here in about three minutes."

Everyone just kind of chatted until there was a knock on the door. Mom jumped up and got it. "Hey, Rose." Mom said and hugged the person behind the door.

"Hello, Renee. How are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm...she's home. That's all that I can feel right now." Mom said quietly. "Come on in." Rosalie stepped in and Mom closed the door. As soon as she saw me, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A few tears slipped out. Emmett got up and hugged her for a long time. When he let her go, she came closer.

"Bella." Rosalie smiled a little but I could tell that she really wanted to break down. I got up and gave her a hug. I started crying which made her start crying. She said hi to everyone else and then sat down next to me. "How is the baby? Did everything turn out okay?" Rosalie asked me.

"Yeah. It was like you said, I was just over reacting." I placed a hand on my stomach.

"That's good." Everyone started talking about stuff (I wasn't really listening) and I decided to go look around more. I walked to the living room and found more pictures. There were a bunch of me and Rosalie and Edward. In every picture, everyone looked so happy. I made my way through the living room to the back door. I was a little scared to go out by myself, so I just looked out of the screen. There was still a small swing set up in the back and a picnic table that I recognized from most of the pictures.

I heard footsteps and turned around. Rosalie walked up to the door. "Do you want to go out?" She asked. I nodded and grabbed a coat and we went out. I walked to the picnic table. She smiled and lightly dragged her hand across it as she went to sit down. "This old thing, I can't believe that it's still here. It's practically been around forever."

I smiled a little. I was glad that she had come out here because I really wanted to talk to her. "Rosalie, I want to thank you..." She looked up. "For taking care of Emmett. You held him together through all of this. I couldn't ask for anyone better to do so."

"Oh, Bella. You are the kindest person I know. Emmett, he held me together just as much as I did for him. You two are so much alike. You put everyone before yourselves." Then she stopped smiling. "Bella, _I _want to apologize. Every day I feel so much guilt. I insisted that I have my party at the park that year. Mom didn't want me to, but I didn't give up. If I would have just gone along with what she said, none of this would have happened."

"Rosalie, you couldn't have known. It somehow was meant to happen. Too many variables add up for it to be anyone's fault but the person that took me."

"How can you be so strong? All I want to do is curl up and cry and you went through all that you went through and you're keeping it together better than half of us." She asked. I shrugged.

"I think that it's worse for everyone else because you all had to live every day knowing and wondering. I don't remember any of it, so even though I know what happened, I didn't spend every day dwelling; or at least I don't think I did."

"Still, you are an amazing woman."

We fell quiet and I listened to the winter birds sing. I noticed a tree near the edge of the woods that had a large tire swing hanging from it. Everything around me seemed to get greener and become younger.

"Come on, Bella! Hurry before Rose and Emmett come out!" Edward called, running towards the swing. "I'll push you first!"

I ran forward and jumped on and he pushed me, then we switched. A rhythmic slam of a screen door captured my attention and brought it to the mint green house. Emmett and Rose ran out and sprinted towards us.

"I'm next!" Rose yelled.

"I'm after Rose!" Emmett claimed his place in line. Edward got off and let them take their turns. The screen door slammed again and this time it was Mom that immerged. She sat down on the picnic table and smiled as I ran towards her.

"How many more days, Momma?" I asked, placing a hand on her stomach. She looked up as if she was calculating.

"One hundred-forty. Five months." She smiled.

"That's an awful long time, Momma. Can't she come sooner?" I begged with a sigh. Mom placed her hand over mine that was still resting on the baby bump.

"Be patient, sweetie. The day will come sooner than you think. You have a lot going on between then. Rose's birthday is coming quickly and then you are going to start second grade! You will be so busy, baby girl, five months will fly by." She ruffled my hair. Rose cam running up and Mom looked up at her. "Speaking of which, what do you want for your birthday, missy?"

"I want a puppy!" Rose squealed. Mom laughed.

"Well, how do your parents feel about that?"

"They aren't saying anything. I think that means yes! I told them that I want a basset hound! I'm going to name her Daisy!" Rose could barely stand still just talking about it.

"Okay, what else do you want?" Mom asked.

"Cabbage Patch Kids! Or Furbies! Or Beanie Babies!" She grinned as she listed off all of the toys that she loved.

"Alrighty! Your birthday is in what, two weeks? You are going to be an old lady!" We all laughed.

"It is in nine days! I'm so happy that I actually get to have my party on my birthday this year! It's finally on a weekend."

As they continued talking, I sat down on the bench and closed my eyes. Everything went silent and all I could hear was the light chirping of birds. The air was colder and thinner. I opened my eyes and got really dizzy. Everything was older and a little darker.

"Bella? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Rose asked. I looked at her slowly. She was older again too. I slowly realized what had just happened. "Bella?! Are you okay?" I nodded a bit so that she didn't freak out. In the background I heard a dog bark. I turned around and saw a very old basset hound sitting on the back porch of Rosalie's parent's house. My breathing hitched.

One of the officers that were stationed at our house had heard Rose and came around the side of the house.

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Can you go and get Emmett, please? Everything is fine – I think – I just think it's a good idea if Emmett is out here." Rose answered him. A few seconds later, I heard the slam of the screen door again. It sounded different, though; it sounded sadder. Emmett jogged over and sat down next to me, pulling me into a side-hug.

"Bella, are you okay, little sis?" He asked me. I nodded a little. So many things were going through my brain. Finally, my attention landed on one of the biggest things that I was wondering.

"Mom...mom was _pregnant_?" I asked. He glanced at Rosalie and his muscles clenched a bit. Taking a deep, labored breath Emmett nodded.

"Where is she? He?" I asked. My brain was racing trying to comprehend everything.

"Let's go inside. It's cold out here. Inside we can talk more." Emmett said, getting up. I reluctantly went with them. I sat down on the couch and looked at all of the pictures once I was inside. Emmett promised me answers, so I didn't complain. I trusted him.

Instead of Emmett coming back, Mom came in and sat down next to me. "Emmett said that he wanted me to come and talk to you."

"I remembered. About you being pregnant." I said hesitantly. "Where is she? Or was it a boy?" I didn't know what to expect and I was a bit afraid to find out. Mom nodded and closed her eyes, trying to figure out what to say.

"I lost her, Bella." She whispered. "I miscarried about a month after you disappeared. I tried so hard to keep her, but my body just couldn't do it. I'm so sorry, Bella."

I took a few seconds to comprehend what she had told me. I got a strong urge to cry, but I pushed it away and the guilt washed over me like a wave. "It's my fault." I whispered.

"What? Bella, no. Absolutely not. This was all..."

I cut her off. "It was because of me being gone. Because of me."

"Isabella. Stop. There is nothing that you could have done differently that would have resulted in any other outcome. It's like you keep saying, everything just added up for me not to have her. It's what was meant to be. God has his plan and no matter how confusing it is, he knows what he is doing." She looked me straight in the eyes. "What is really important now is that you don't get too stressed out too. You need to keep your little one growing healthily. You both have had a rough go so far. It is time for you to be able to relax. You are home."

I leaned over and gave her a big hug and started crying. I finally had a memory of my mother. I no longer had to say that I didn't remember her. I remembered Rosalie and Edward too. Being focused on the pregnancy part had made me forget about all of this.

"Bella, what's wrong, honey?" Mom asked.

"Nothing...I just remembered. I remembered you and Rosalie and Edward."

"That's wonderful, Bella. You are taking back your past. I don't know anyone that could do it as strongly and as determinedly as you."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but I feel so weak and vulnerable. I don't have any idea what I'm doing!"

"That's okay! Because no matter what, you are holding up better that I am or would be! I would lie in bed and cry for days and days on end and you, you are up doing things. You have made it so far." Mom explained. I just shrugged and looked around the room again. Outside the window, there was a crowd of people. Most of them looked like news reporters; I sighed and I assumed that this would be a major (annoying) part of my life for the next few weeks.

"Who else do I need to talk to that I haven't seen –haven't met yet?" I asked Mom.

"Bella, you don't need to..."

"Mom, I want to do everything that I can do to get my life to a somewhat normal state before the baby comes. I don't want to be walking around for the next few months and run in to people that I used to be extremely close to and have no idea who they are. If I just meet them now, it will make life easier later on."

She nodded and smiled a little. "Okay." I got an idea, remembering when we first arrived here.

"What about Rosalie's parents? I know that we were really close families and I'm sure they won't be too difficult of a place to start."

Mom nodded and we walked back in to the kitchen. "Rose, do you mind calling your parents and asking them to come over for a second?" Mom explained what I had told her back in the living room and Rose happily agreed. It didn't take long for her parent's to be at the front door of our house.

"I'll get it." I said. We had watched them walk up to the door, so I knew that it was them. I walked to the door and – taking a big breath – opened it. Standing there were a man and a woman that looked about Mom and Dad's age and resembled Rosalie. When they saw me, the woman started crying. "Come on in. It's cold outside." I said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

It went about the same with them as it did with everyone else. They cried, we cried, everyone talked a bit and I just sat back and took it all in. The noise died down and everyone seemed to realize that they were starving hungry. Mom got all flustered trying to find something for us to eat.

"Mom. Mom! Stop, let's just call and order a few pizzas and then no one has to do anything." Emmett said. Everyone agreed, so Mom gave in and ordered three pizzas to be delivered. Not but thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Emmett got it, but I wanted to listen, so I stood behind the door.

"Hey, Emmett." A male voice said. "How is everything going?"

"It's going. We're home, she's home, so it's as good as it could possibly get. Thanks for asking."

"Alright, well, I wish you guys the best of luck." The person said.

"Wait, how much do we owe you?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing. This one is on the house. You guys have been through so much; it's the least we can do."

"Thanks Mike. It really means a lot." Emmett said and then closed the door. The smell of warm pizza reached my nose and my stomach growled. Between the nine of us, it only took about twenty minutes to scarf down all three pizzas. Apparently, we were hungrier than we thought. Once full, I realized just how tired I was. Everyone transferred from the kitchen to the living room where there was enough seating. I curled up next to Edward on the couch. I felt bad that I hadn't really talked to him the whole day. I was just so preoccupied. He put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder and yawned.

I zoned out and started thinking about the baby. It kind of hit me that I had a huge responsibility coming at me and a lot of things to do. I had to come up with a way to support myself when he got here. I also needed everything from diapers and a crib to clothes and toys. Also on a larger scale, I had to name him. I had no idea what to name my child. I really wanted to wait until I had more information about where I went and who took me so that I didn't name him after someone who ruined my life – such as his 'father'. As all of this raced through my head, I started to get really nervous.

"Bella, are you okay?" Edward whispered. "Your hands are shaking. What's wrong?" I just shrugged and tried to stop worrying (unsuccessfully). Edward got up, taking my hand and leading me out of the room. "We'll be right back." He said, heading for the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Bella? What are you worrying about?"

I looked away at the floor. "The baby."

"Everything is going to be okay, Bella. You have so many people around you that will be there every step of the way."

"What if I don't get any information about my captor and I name my child after the pedophile that did all of this to me? And then later I find out or remember and then for the rest of my life and the life of my child, I have to say the name of the person that took all of my childhood from me?" A single tear escaped down my cheek. Edward just hugged me tightly.

"Bella, honey, it is going to be okay. I highly doubt that that will happen, and even if it does, it is going to be okay. You don't have to call him by that name, or you could legally change it. Under no circumstances are you going to have to say the man's name every day, alright? It's okay." Edward always had a way to calm me down. He was so quick with responses and confident in what he was saying. He hugged me again and then we went back to the living room. Rosalie's parents were standing up.

"We're going to go home and let you guys get some rest." Bill – her dad – said. I nodded and gave them both hugs.

"You look exhausted, Bella." Mom said and I nodded. I could barely keep my eyes open.

"Rose and I are going to sleep in my room." Emmett said, and then he addressed Kate and Edward. "There is a guest room down stairs, for one of you guys. Unfortunately, someone is going to have to sleep on the couch."

"Kate, you can have the guest room, I'll sleep on the couch." Edward said.

"Oh, that's okay; I just planned on getting a room at a hotel in town." Kate had been relatively quiet too throughout this whole day. She had talked to me a bit after the flashback and stuff to make sure that I was still holding up okay, but that was it.

"You are welcome here, if you want, Kate. You have done so much for all of us, it's the least we can do." Dad spoke up.

"Okay, that way I'll be closer if you need me, Bella." She smiled and I nodded. I was nervous about sleeping in my bed again. Nothing had been moved in that room in fourteen years, it just felt weird to go in and destroy that sacred childhood. Everyone was settled in their room's places except for me and Mom. I just stood in the doorway of my room and looked. Mom came and stood by me.

"I came in here every day and prayed for you. For you to be okay and to come home. And by some miracle, here you are." She said. A few seconds later she spoke up again. "Bella, I kept it like it was because I wanted it to be you; you who went through the door and got your pajamas, you who crawled under the covers that were always kept as you like it – never made, you who moved your toys to the place which you desired. Doing that myself felt like I was closing the book. Ending any chance of you coming home. Now that you are here, you can move whatever you want wherever you want it. It is yours."

I waited a few seconds, taking it all in again, and then I stepped in with my small bag of clothes that Angela got me. I touched the tiny pair of pajamas on the bed and cried, picking them up. Mom started crying softly too. I folded them up and put them in the drawer. I wasn't totally sure how I knew which drawer it was, but I just did. Slowly, I got ready for bed. First I put on my more reasonably sized pajamas and then I brushed my teeth again. Then, it was time. I stood next to the bed and crawled in. The covers that had waited fourteen years for someone to slide underneath them, finally moved. Mom was crying as she turned the light off.

"I love you, Bella." She whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mom." She closed the door and I took a deep breath. For the first time since I was seven years old, I fell asleep in my own bed.

**I hope you guys were okay on the flashback. Usually I put the little ' **_(Flashback) _**' thing in, but I didn't want it to seem like Bella knew what was going on; she just kind of slipped into it and that's what I was trying to go for. Sorry if I lost you there. Please review! Tell me what you thought and what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I am SOOOOOO sorry! I honestly can't believe that it has been this long since I updated. I went on vacation and then I got home and my computer decided to stop working. So I just got it back today and tried my best to pop this one out before I had to go to bed for school tomorrow. I really hope that you like this. **

3 Months Later

The past three months had flown by. Once I was home and got used to the house and the area, I started to get a grip on things. There were so many people that visited me, I was losing track of everyone. The memories were coming back slowly – very slowly. Occasionally, I would meet someone new and I would remember a little bit about my past as a kid, but that was about it. The bad memories had mostly stayed away so far. I had avoided the park and tried not to think about the situation.

After I got settled, Kate brought me a bunch of pictures to see if I could identify my captor or any of his features. When I turned the third page, I had a complete breakdown. His face was there, staring up at me, and I remembered. It was short, like the others, but it was enough. When Kate showed the picture to my family, dad lost it immediately. We almost had to take him to the hospital. By his reaction, I knew. I knew that it was Dmitri. The guilt that consumed Dad over the past few months was overwhelming. Kate assigned everyone their own counselor to help with the emotional stress – and she stayed as mine.

Now six months into my pregnancy, I was a balloon. My body structure had filled out, so I wasn't so malnourished looking, but my stomach still looked huge on me. The doctor had confirmed multiple times for me that indeed my son was okay despite everything.

Edward's mom, Esme, had come to Forks for a while to visit us. Not long behind her were Alice and Jasper. Edward and Rose's siblings. I was confused at first. They were cousins, but they were married. Edward explained that Alice was adopted at age nine and Jasper was adopted too. Jasper was adopted from a family member on another side of their family, but still, there was no blood relation between the two.

The introductions went the same as all of the others. Lots of tears, but in the end it all turned out good. Alice had been wonderful and Jasper was quiet, but when I got really really upset, he would come and sit by me and calm me down.

Today was a day that I wasn't quite sure that I was ready for, but that I was excited for all the same. It needed to happen regardless so I decided to plan it and be excited for it. And here it was. The baby shower. Being six months along, left me with only three months to get all of the things I needed and to get everything ready.

Kate and I had spent hours over the phone and in person talking about this and if I was ready, both emotionally and physically. We talked about my options. It was too late to get an abortion (not that I wanted to anyway) but there was still adoption on the table. Kate told me that no one would judge me if I gave up the baby and that I wasn't obliged to keep him by any means. I also talked to both Alice and Jasper about this. We talked about the ups and downs for being adopted and how it impacted their life. I didn't rush in to any decision about this. I did all of my homework and thought about it for weeks. In the end, I decided that no matter how he was conceived, the value of my child didn't falter a bit.

As I lay in bed and reflected on all of this, I realized that I needed to get up and get ready for the shower. Alice and Rose had taken me shopping for maternity clothes and a full wardrobe. I pulled on some maternity jeans and a long white and black polka dotted top. I wasn't too worried about makeup, but I put a light coat of blush and some mascara on just to brighten up my face and make me look less tired. Waddling down the stairs in my slippers, I saw that Rose and Alice were already here.

"Good morning, Bella." Alice chirped. She always kept things light and made me forget for a second about everything that had happened to me. "You look gorgeous! Renee made blueberry pancakes, would you like some?"

"Thank you Alice. And sure, I'll take two." I took a seat at the table next to Rose.

"How are you feeling today, Bella?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I'm okay. I'm nervous but excited too. I just don't know what to expect." I had invited Angela, Kate, Esme, Rose's mom Jan, my grandma, and then obviously my mom and Alice and Rose. It wasn't big, but I didn't know a lot of people. It was enough.

Everyone pretty much arrived at the same time. The house went from quiet to bustling in a matter of minutes. Even though there were only eight people, the stack of gifts was enormous. Everyone gave everyone hugs and got settled.

"I guess I should start tackling this mound." I said, smiling and sitting down next to the gifts. I started with the smaller boxes – because the bigger ones looked intimidating. Most of them contained little blue and green and yellow onesies. There were also a lot of bottles, diapers, toys and bibs. The bigger bags and boxes contained the more bulky objects. Mom had bought almost all of it. There was a crib, a stroller, a car seat/ carrier, a changing table and then a bunch of accessories for them. It was almost overwhelming, all the stuff I got, but at the same time I was so thankful. There were so many things that I never would have dreamed that I needed.

After I finished opening everything, I sat back and shook my head. "Thank you all so, so much. I never would have survived without this."

"Of course, Bella." Angela said.

"It's time for food!" Mom called from the kitchen. We all traveled into the kitchen and snacked on sub sandwiches and pasta salad. We all talked about positive things, like naming the baby and the nursery. Emmett and Edward were coming over later today to take everything out of Emmett's old room and start assembling the crib and other large furniture. The color Emmett had his room painted was perfect so I left it. It was a light but strong blue.

After a few hours, everyone started to leave. Once everyone was gone, Mom found me.

"Bella, I have a doctor's appointment today. I don't want to leave you all by yourself, so you can come with me or I could call someone. Rose can come back..."

"Mom, I'm an adult now. I know that it's hard to leave me by myself, but I'm okay. All the doors will be locked and there is an officer that patrols the street every thirty minutes. I will be okay. Just go." I convinced her. I was a little nervous being alone, but it wasn't the first time and I had to learn how to be by myself. Eventually, mom left and I had the house to myself. I took this time to look through the crazy amount of baby clothes that I had got. I was sorting them into sizes when I came across one that stopped me. It was a little green onesie with an alligator on it. As I stared at it, it grew. Everything around me went dark and I was suddenly in a dark, damp and cold place. The only thing that I could see was a neon sign with an alligator on it shining through a small window.

Two sets of footsteps approached and a door opened. "She's back there." A gruff voice said. "You have thirty minutes, any longer and the price doubles." The door closed and one set of footsteps walked away, but one got closer. I tried to hide in the darkness, but the person turned on a dim, yellow light. He stalked towards me, unbuckling his belt. He got on top of me and I fought, trying as hard as I could to get away. His weight was too much and all that I could do was lie there and sob. It didn't end until the first man came back.

"Time's up." He snapped and the man in the room. But he didn't come back alone. He had another customer with him. As he chanted off the same instructions to the new man, I tried to get away, but there was no escape. This went on for five more men. Eventually, the man in charge – Dmitri - came back and took his own turn, and then he turned off the light and locked all five locks on the door. As I lay on the damp floor, I looked up at that alligator and sobbed. It began to shrink back down and my surroundings returned to the safety of my living room. I couldn't breathe. The sobs and screams that were coming out of me seemed distant as the awful things replayed in my head. All of my self-worth was gone. I was sickened by every inch of my body. Somehow, I made it into the garage. I searched for something...anything to get rid of this dirty, tainted body with. I eventually stumbled along a razor blade in Dad's toolbox. I sobbed until I couldn't breathe, holding the blade over my skin. I took a deep, sob filled breath and brought the razor down on my skin. A red stream appeared just as the door to the garage flew open.

"Bella?! Bella, no!" Edward ran over to me and grabbed the razor, throwing it across the garage. He grabbed my wrist and held it to stop the bleeding while he held me and let me scream and sob. "Shh, its okay, Bella. You are okay. It's all over. You are safe, you are safe." He chanted these things to me until I could breathe, then he carried me into the living room. Without taking his eyes off of me once, he called Kate. He took fifteen seconds to tell her to get back over here fast and give her a short explanation of what had happened. As soon as he hang up, he took me to the bathroom and I sat down on the edge of the bathtub while he got out all of the supplies that he needed to bandage up my wrist. I held it tightly, embarrassed at what I had done and sickened by what had led me to do it. I still wanted to puke at the images that continued to rush through my mind.

Edward turned to me. "Bella," He held out his hand. I hesitated. "It's okay, Bella, I just need to make sure that you are alright." I cried as I handed him my wrist. He inspected the wound to see if it needed stitches. Luckily, it didn't.

As he cleaned and bandaged my cut, he sighed. "What happened, Bella? What did you remember?"

I took a deep breath. I still was crying and I wasn't sure if I could even try to verbalize all of the terrible things that happened. "He...he sold me." I sobbed. Edward's breathing stopped, but his strong and safe demeanor didn't falter. "They got thirty minutes...no breaks between." I tried to continue but I got too worked up.

"Shh, Bella, it's all over, now. You are safe." Edward told me. Just as he applied the tape to the bandage, the front door opened.

"Bella?! Edward!?" Kate called.

"We are in here, Kate." Edward answered. She scurried in and hugged me.

"Are you alright? Do we need to take you to the hospital?"

"I fixed her up, it wasn't as deep as I thought." He explained for me.

Kate sighed. "Bella, come for a walk with me? It'd be good to get some fresh air." I nodded and stood up. Kate and I walked out back for a while before we started talking. "Alright, Bella, what happened? What went wrong?" She sat down on the picnic table and I followed her lead.

"I...he..." I started lightly crying again.

"Did you have a flashback?" She helped me along. I nodded, trying to push the images out. "What was it about?" She didn't push anymore than that. She let me cry, knowing that I would eventually come around and tell her.

"There was an alligator light...cold, dark room...he...he sold me." I choked out the words. "They each got thirty minutes, there were seven in a row and then he took his turn." I managed to get it all out before breaking down again. Kate whispered something under her breath and then she hugged me. She knew there were no words that would make it any better, so she just hugged me until I calmed back down.

"Bella, sweetheart, nothing, _nothing_ that anyone can or has done to you can deplete your worth. You are so beautiful and so amazing. The things that have happened to you don't make you any less valuable – to anyone." Kate said. When she stopped, I realized something. Getting up, I ran inside to Edward.

"Edward!" I called. He came out into the living room from the kitchen. "Edward, you can't tell Mom about this. Please! She will feel so guilty for leaving me alone and it is not her fault. I don't want her to be hurt anymore."

"Bella, honey, she needs to know. She needs to be able to keep you safe. She will be okay, I promise."

"No, Edward. I am an adult now. I don't need a babysitter. I can take care of myself. What I can't deal with is someone feeling so much guilt about me when it is not their fault." I knew that it was mostly a lie. I wouldn't survive a day without someone helping me along, but I needed him to help me with this. Right on cue, Mom came in and stopped. I shot Edward a look and covered up my arm.

"Hello Edward...Kate? What are you doing back so soon?" Mom asked.

"She forgot her purse." I answered for Kate. She looked at me with a look that clearly stated 'you need to tell her the truth', but I ignored her.

"Well, it is a good thing that you remembered before you got all the way to Seattle!" Mom smiled. "Edward? I thought you and Emmett were going to put everything in the nursery, what happened?"

I spoke up once again. "Emmett got delayed. He'll be here soon."

"Oh, well, it's good to see you both." Mom said, coming to give me a hug. As I brought my arm up to give her a hug back, she caught my hand. "Oh my goodness! What happened?"

_Here we go._ "I was trying to open a box of stuff and my hand slipped and my arm got scratched. Edward got here and insisted that he bandage it up. It's really not anything more than a scratch though. I'm just fine." I lied.

"Those boxes! I swear, they really don't want you getting into them do they!?" Mom shook her head and hugged me. Edward sighed and I let one single tear escape. Mom went into the kitchen to start on dinner and the three of us went in to the living room. As soon as we sat down, I heard the garage door open and Emmett's jeep pull in. His car door shut, but he didn't come in. After a minute or two I went to see what was going on. Emmett was crouched down by the back of his jeep. When I closed the door he looked up.

"What...what happened in here?" He asked, he couldn't see my wrist yet.

"Nothing Emmett. It's fine." I said. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? Are you okay? I come home to find a razor stained with blood and drips all over the place. What on earth happened?" He came around the car and then he saw. I could almost see his heart sink. "Bella."

"I'm so sorry, Emmett." I whispered as he came over and hugged me.

"No, Bella. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. You don't deserve to be in this much pain." He hugged me for a long time. "What...what happened? What went wrong?"

"Talk to Kate. I can't bring myself to say it all again."

"Okay."

"And Emmett," He stopped just before turning the handle. "Mom knows nothing. I had to lie to her so that she wouldn't feel so guilty. Please, you can't tell her, okay?"

"Bella..."

"Please, Emmett. She will feel so bad for leaving me alone that she will never do it again. It's not her fault." Also, I was ashamed. I was ashamed that I had been tossed around like a rag from person to person. I didn't want my own mother to look at me and see that.

"Listen Bells, Mom is a tough lady. She will be able to take it, but what she won't be able to take is if something happens to you. She needs to be able to keep you safe." He opened the door to the garage. "You stay with Edward, I am going to talk to Kate and then I'm going to talk to Mom."

"Emmett, please…" I tried to stop him.

"Bella, it's going to be okay. I know how to talk to her, I've had to do things like this many times. It will be okay." Before I could complain, he had already taken me in to Edward and asked him to stay with me and then walked away with Kate.

I sat curled up next to Edward lightly crying the whole time. I felt so disgusted by my body, I couldn't wrap my head around it. After a good amount of time, Emmett and Kate came back. Emmett's face was racked with pain and when I saw him I started sobbing. I felt so unworthy and hated myself for making everyone go through all of this.

Emmett came around the small couch and wrapped me up in a huge hug. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Bella, it's not your fault. You are the victim here, not the perpetrator." Emmett whispered back through tears. I heard footsteps and my stomach dropped.

"Oh gosh, what on earth is going on?" Mom said. "Bella, baby, what's wrong?" She came over and brushed some hair out of my face.

"Mom, I think I need to talk to you alone." Emmett said, wiping his face. "Let's go in the kitchen."

"What happened? Is everything okay?" Edward pulled me into hug, taking over Emmett's place so that he could go tell her what happened. They were gone for a long time. I heard mom crying from the kitchen, which made me cry even more.

"Bella, sweetheart, you are okay. Don't worry about Renee, okay? She is a tough lady, she is okay. You can't' blame yourself for any of this." Kate said sweetly.

"I just hate myself so much. Even if I couldn't stop it, all I am a piece of paper, scribbled on so many times that you can't even see the white any more. What I remembered was just one night; eight times in one night. Think about what that adds up to in a week…a year…now I was gone for fourteen." An extra few tears fell as I verbalized this. Kate and Edward were quiet for a while, but I saw a few tears slip down Kate's cheek.

"Bella, you are so much more than that." Edward said. "You made it out. You fought through all of that pain and survived it. Not many people can say that. Your paper is still untouched. It's the monsters that did that to you whose paper is black. They are the ones that should suffer all of this, you didn't do anything wrong."

I just shrugged and looked at the grey rug. Its nondescript color reflected my heart. I fell quiet and listened to my mother cry quietly from the kitchen. I hated Dmitri so much for making me go through all of this, I wanted to see him suffer as much as me and my family were now.

"Are there any leads in the case?" I breathed, almost afraid of the answer. Kate looked up with a little more intent, but it was a very serious look

"The detectives have really been going through the evidence files from Dmitri's death and they think that they have reached a conclusion that there wasn't enough physical evidence at the scene of the fire to determine if it was really Dmitri or not. The build and size of the bones found are relatively accurate, but there isn't enough to tell one way or not. Though based on your recognition of him in the picture is enough to reasonably assume that the body is not Dmitri's. That being said, they have expanded their search to a small city in Mexico where he had been stationed with the National Guard at one point. They have a high human trafficking rate there, so with this new information, it's looking more and more like a better place to look." Kate explained. I tried to take it strongly. I basically knew all of it already anyway; this just confirmed all of our theories. "The detectives have been searching for Dmitri's friend that said that he was home, but they haven't found him. His parents said that he moved out of state, but didn't say where." Nodding was all that I had energy for. The crying from the kitchen stopped and mom and Emmett came into the living room. Mom came over to me and took my hand, taking me with her back to the kitchen.

"Mom, I'm…"

"Shh, Isabella," She whispered. "Do not apologize. It's what you always tell me, so I'm telling you. It's not your fault; even if you feel guilty, right?"

I took a very deep breath and nodded.

"And Bella, never feel like you can't tell me something." She said, taking my hand that was bandaged. I didn't look at it. "You don't have to hide things from me. I can take it, but you just have to tell me. I would be more upset if you didn't tell me and then something happened that was worse, all because I didn't know, okay? It's safe to talk to me." Mom then pulled me into a huge motherly hug and I felt a little relieved. "I'm so sorry that you are hurting so much, baby. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." We broke the hug and she wiped my tears away. "You are so beautiful, my little sunshine."

When dad came home, the whole process started over again. Finally, I got claustrophobic in all of the drama and went up to my room to call Rose. She helped me through so much and I just needed someone to talk to. She never overreacted when I was present. She stayed strong when I needed her to.

The phone only rang twice before she answered. "Hey, Bella."

"Hey." I sighed, exhausted, even though it was still afternoon.

"What's up, Bella. You sound upset. Did something happen."

"Yeah; a lot of something's." I proceeded to tell her about my day and all of the horrible things that I remembered.

She took a deep breath, composing herself so that she could talk to me.

"Bella, you go through so much, yet everyday you keep moving. You will be okay. All of this will always stick with you, but you will overcome it. You have to show those men that they can't hurt you. They can knock you down, but you can always get back up."

"I know, I just feel so dirty and worthless."

"Bella, going through all of this makes you that much more valuable. You are so much stronger and tougher. You keep getting hit with all of these things, and you get through them."

"I guess, I don't feel stronger though, I feel like sh!t."

"I know, hun. But it will get better. I promise."

Just then, my baby kicked, reminding me of his presence. I sighed and moaned, it was a bit of a harder kick.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

"Nothing, just my little reminder that I'm not alone is calling my attention a little harder than usually."

"Yeah, I feel you there." She sighed. We were quiet for a while, but then I realized something.

"Wait what?"

"Sh!t." Rose cursed under her breath.

**Okay, so I have a lot of things to say so stick with me. First I would like to thank **_**dolphingirl0206 **_**for adding this story to Pregnant Bella and Dadward. I love that community and it is great to be a part of it. Also, thank you for everyone who came from there and those that stuck with me. I know it's been a while since I updated and I'm not sure how this chapter is. I really wanted to upload it so I didn't do my usual proof read and edit. Sorry if it is bad, I will fix it later if I need to. Please review, I love your feedback. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, guys. This is a serious matter I want to talk about first. In the last chapter, the majority of the chapter was about self-harm. If you or someone that you know is feeling depressed of suicidal, ** **has a list of ****help line numbers for over ****40 countries****. Please, please find someone to talk to. If you are feeling this way, it is okay. Someone will understand, there is someone out there that loves you very, very much and losing you would devastate them beyond anything you can imagine. If it is someone you know, don't be afraid to tell someone. Doing so could save their life. Even if they get mad at first, later on in life, they will look back and be so thankful. Whether you get your resource from the site or if it is someone you know, I encourage you to find someone and talk about it. It is worth it. You are worth it. **

"_Nothing, just my little reminder that I'm not alone is calling my attention a little harder than usually." _

"_Yeah, I feel you there." She sighed. We were quiet for a while, but then I realized something._

"_Wait what?" _

"_Sh!t." Rose cursed under her breath._

"Rose, what are you talking about? Are you pregnant?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Yes. I am three months along."

"Rose, that is great! I know you guys have been trying for a little while. How long have you guys known?" I was truly happy for her. Now I wasn't the only one carrying a child. I had someone to talk to about things that only a pregnant woman could understand.

"Well, I've known for the full three months, we conceived the night before Em got the call to go to Seattle. But he doesn't know yet. I didn't want to give him another thing to worry about. I am going to tell him soon. I didn't want to take the focus off of more important situations."

"Rosalie, everyone, especially Emmett, could use some good news. Don't let me stand in the way of your happiness."

"I know, I just feel so awkward about it. I'm still so nervous bringing another child in to this world. I mean, I already screwed up one child's life, what am I going to do to another?"

"Rose, if you are talking about me, you are wrong. You didn't do anything. My life took its turns because of a terrible person, you had no control of it. You are going to be a great mother, I promise you."

"Thanks, Bella that really means a lot. You are my role model."

"When are you going to tell him?" I asked.

"I don't know, I guess soon. I should probably tell him tonight." Rose said with a sigh. I smiled as I looked over my purple walls and felt comforted that I was home.

"Are you already feeling kicks? You said that you agreed with the little reminders." Even though I was feeling kicks when I was at her stage, the doctor said that it is rare and mostly common with pregnancies that weren't the first.

"No. I meant morning sickness. It's not happening as often but when it hits, it hits hard."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I didn't get sick much, but I got the gist of it enough to understand."

As we sat in that moment of silence when no one really knows what to say, I once again looked at my room. I hadn't really touched anything yet. I was afraid to move things still; I felt like I didn't have the right to move it. Like it belonged to a different person; to that sweet, innocent little girl who's biggest fear was not getting to play outside with her friends. It was hers, and she was never coming back. Someone knocked on my door.

"Bella, are you okay?" Dad asked through the door. I could hear the slight panic in his voice.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm just talking to Rose. I'm okay." I called back. I had expected someone to come after me a lot sooner than what they did, but I really hadn't been gone for too long; probably a half hour at the most.

"Go on, Bella, you are going to worry everyone sick staying cooped up in your room all by yourself. I will talk to you this evening – tomorrow at the latest. Okay?" Even though she ended with a question, it was clear that I didn't have an option. Like I said, Rose was very sweet and kind, but she wasn't afraid to step up to the plate and give firm directions. "Bye, Bella."

"Bye Rose. Good luck with Emmett. I know that he will be very happy. He needs this."

"Alright. I'll call you." She said and then she hung up. I got up off my bed, still exhausted, and opened my door.

"There you are," Dad smiled, trying to hide the fact that he had just been told the events of today. "We are going to eat an early supper if you would like to join us."

"Of course, who all is eating with us?" I asked. As much as I would love for Emmett to stay, I wanted him to go home to Rose so that she could tell him that she is pregnant.

"Everyone is staying for dinner. After we eat, Emmett and Edward are going to move everything out of Emmett's room and set up the nursery. I don't know what Kate is going to do yet. We told her that she is welcome to stay here with us if she wants to." Dad explained as we were walking down to the kitchen. When we got there, the strong aroma of garlic and noodles reached my nose and I was immediately hungry.

"What are you making? It smells amazing!" I sat down at the table, ready to eat.

"Well, I'm glad. It's not going to be ready for a minute or two, but you are welcome to sit there and wait if you want." Mom smiled. Talking to Rose had made me forget for a minute about the horrible flashback, but while I was sitting there, I slumped down in my seat. A large hole seemed to open in the center of my chest. Mom looked at me. "Aw, Baby, it's going to be okay. I know it will haunt you for a while, but you will overcome it, okay?" I nodded meekly. Distraction helped more than the words of encouragement.

Luckily enough, the phone rang. "I'll get it." I jumped up and ran to the phone, eager to get my mind off of the images that were coursing through my brain.

"Hello?" I picked up the phone and rested my elbows on the counter. From the other end of the line, all I heard was labored breathing, it sounded like someone was crying. "Hello? Are you there?"

"B…Bella?" A male voice asked. I got kind of scared, but I knew that the voice didn't belong to Dmitri, so I didn't worry too much. This voice was familiar though. I scoured my brain, searching for a memory to link with it.

"Who is this?" Embarrassment flooded my cheeks in the form of a bright red blush. Having to ask that question was one thing that really bothered me.

"Bella, my name is Jacob Black. I knew you when we were little. Our dad's are friends." He explained. I stood up. I knew who this was; I had had quite a few memories of Jacob, not as many as Rose and Edward, but enough to know that we were really close.

"Jacob. I…I remember you, I think. Hi." Mom looked up at me, surprised. I wasn't sure if it was about Jacob himself or me remembering him.

"I am so sorry that I didn't call sooner. I just got back from Afghanistan yesterday and was just told that you were back." His voice was quivering again. "Sorry, I'm still a bit emotional; this is a lot to take in."

"No, it's fine. I am still a mess myself. How have you been?" I was totally winging it on the conversation. I had no clue what to say to him.

"Right now, I think I just got sucked up by a tornado of information, and I don't even know that much! How are you?"

"I'm managing; taking it day by day. Some days are worse than others but I don't really have a choice but to get by." He was quiet for a second. After about twenty, I checked the line to make sure that it was still on. "Are you still there, Jacob?"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm just trying to process all of this. It's so good to hear your voice again. I missed you so much Bells."

"You know what? Mom's already cooking for a crowd, why don't you come and join us, if you want?"

"I don't want to intrude…"

"Jacob, I invited you. Plus, if you are up to it, I'm sure Emmett and Edward could use some help moving things out of Emmett's room after dinner."

"Alright, if you are sure Renee doesn't mind."

"I'm not even going to answer you anymore. You are coming over for dinner, be here in twenty minutes."

Jacob laughed a little. "Okay, Bella. I better leave now then. See you in a bit."

"Bye Jacob." I smiled and then hung up. Mom looked at me.

"Was that Jacob Black?" She asked.

"Yeah, he is coming over for dinner. Hope you don't mind."

"Of course not! I haven't seen Jacob in so long; he went on a two year tour in Afghanistan. I can't believe that he is back!" She began to fret over every little thing that was out of place. The twenty minutes flew by; I noticed his car before she did, so I slipped out the door, to go and meet him before he got consumed by my family.

I stood behind the porch swing, covering up my stomach for the moment. It was just easier for people to take things in small chunks rather than be hit by it all at once, or so I had learned. Jacob got out of the car and immediately stopped, covering his mouth with his hand. He took a second or two before walking closer.

"Oh my gosh." He whispered. "Bella…"

"Hey, Jacob." I smiled. He stopped at the top of the stairs.

"I can't believe…you're…"

"I'm here; I'm alive; I'm okay. I know it's a lot to take in. Just take your time."

He nodded and stepped closer.

"Jacob, there is one more thing that I am, along with here, alive and okay," I stepped out from behind the swing. "I'm pregnant."

This one took a while, but I just stood there, giving him as much time as he needed. Although he was trying to be tough, I could tell that his face was wet from all of the tears. Eventually, I opened my arms and he hugged me, crying even more. We held each other for a long time.

"I missed you so much, Bella. So much; every single day, especially since I left, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I'm so glad that you are okay." He stepped back and looked at my stomach. "And this, wow! I mean, you look great. How far along are you?"

"Six months. We had the baby shower this morning, actually. That's why you three guys will be removing all of the furniture from Emmett's room and all of the baby stuff in."

"Oh, wow. I'm…are you happy? Or…" The uncertainty was rolling off him.

"I'm happy. A lot of people don't think that I should keep him; that he will make my recovery harder. I don't think so. He will go through all of this with me - the waking up alone, the not remembering anyone, the emotional chaos of meeting my family and friends for the first time, the flashbacks, all of it. He is there."

Jacob nodded. "I understand."

"Are you ready to go on in? Be prepared, Mom is in full freak out mode trying to clean the house for you."

"Oh, she doesn't have to do that! It's just me!" He shook his head as we walked in the door. Before I could turn to look at the living room, I heard the remote drop on the floor.

"No f! #ing way." Emmett blurted out. Dad and Edward turned around, but not before Emmett was over the top of the couch and hugging Jacob. They hugged for a while until Dad and Edward came over and took their turns. Kate held back, not wanting to disrupt the little moment.

"What are you doing back already? I thought that you weren't back until September!" Emmett asked.

"A few of us guys from my platoon were driving back to base in a humvee and an IED went off." He closed his eyes and swallowed. "I was the lucky one."

"Oh dear." Mom hugged him. "I'm so glad that you are okay. Are the others…" The look on Jacob's face stopped her. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

We all stood there awkwardly. I knew how I felt about sitting there dwelling on things so I tried to change the subject. "Is dinner ready, yet? I'm starving!"

Mom's head snapped up. "Oh! Yes it is! Let's eat." She ushered everyone into the kitchen and we all ate delicious spaghetti. Jacob was relatively quiet throughout the meal. He would answer if someone asked him a question, but he didn't comment otherwise. Occasionally, he would look up at me as if he was reassuring himself that I was still here.

Everyone finished eating and I was still filling up my plate for the third time.

"Bella, I don't think I have ever seen you eat this much! My goodness!" Mom laughed and shook her head.

"Well, I'm eating for two now!"

"I guess so!" She smiled. After I finally got full, Mom and Dad started cleaning up from dinner. Emmett, Edward and Jacob went up to Emmett's room to start moving out everything. All of the little stuff had been boxed up already, so it was just the furniture – the mattress/bed, dresser, chest of drawers, etc. Kate and I sat on the couch, watching them try to maneuver the bulky items down the stairs, laughing at how many tries it took them to figure it out. Once they emptied the room, they had to carry the boxes of baby stuff up the stairs to the room and set it up. I went up too and told them where to put everything. The crib went on the wall closest to mine, so that I could hear when he cried. Everything else just went where it would fit.

"Thank you guys so much! I could not have done it without you."

"That's what we are here for, Bells." Edward smiled and hugged me. Then, Emmett and Edward went home. I practically pushed Emmett out the door so that Rose could tell him that she was pregnant, but I didn't want to give it away. After they left, Jacob and I found our way to the porch swing.

"Thanks for earlier, Bells, changing the subject and all. I just…I can't - not yet." He said. I patted his hand.

"I understand. Sometimes a distraction is better than the 'Oh, I'm sorry' or 'It's going to be okay.' Take your time, Jacob; as much as you need. If you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, I am here for you. I know what it is like to feel all alone and not have anyone to relate to. Just call me or come here whenever you need me."

"Thank you, Bella. It means a lot." We sat there in silence, enjoying the nighttime nature sounds for about five minutes.

"How much did Billy tell you?" I asked quietly. I hated leaving people in the dark about what had happened to me; I knew they would want to know, but wouldn't want to ask, so I offered it up myself.

"He told me that three months ago you were found in Seattle and that you were home now. I pretty much lost it before he could tell me anymore."

"Do you want to know more?"

"I don't want to pry…"

"Okay, then I will tell you everything that I know. The first flashback I had was of a man named Dmitri. From that we figured out that the man that took me was named Dmitri Myles. He apparently faked his death not too long after my disappearance and took me to Mexico. Well, at least that's the theory now. I can speak fluent Spanish and he was stationed in a town in Mexico when he was the in the National Guard, so they are searching there now. The town also has a high rate of human trafficking, and based on the flashback that I had this morning, the place is just the best area to search." I took a deep breath. The trafficking thing still sickened me. "When I woke up, I was alone in an alley, without a single memory of anything. I found some clothes and called 911. I met Edward at the hospital – neither one of us knowing who the other was until Emmett came in to the picture. It took me until about the time that I got home to start having more frequent flashbacks of before I was kidnapped. The bad ones have mostly stayed away – except for this morning. This morning was rough." I managed to end it without totally sobbing.

"Oh, my gosh. Bella, I…I…" He struggled to find the right thing to say.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know so that you didn't have to wonder all the time. I know it is hard to ask that kind of stuff, so I just like to tell people so they aren't struggling to find the right time to ask."

"Well, then I guess I should elaborate on my escapade. It's nothing compared to your trauma…"

"Jacob, all things that hurt us are significant. There's no scale, just things that are traumatic and things that aren't."

"Okay, well, there were four of us. We were going to another base to do some work. Nothing serious, but we had to take a road that was considered a little more risky than the main ones. I was supposed to be driving, but I was feeling a little light headed so I traded places with Sam in the back. We were going along when suddenly we were in the air. The sound of the explosion hit after the initial impact which shook us even more, sending the humvee down a hill. I managed to get out, pulling my buddy Embry out with me. As I went to go back for the other two, another explosion went off in the vehicle – the rest of the car catching on fire. Sam and Quill were gone. There was no chance otherwise. I had to stay with Embry and try and keep him alive. His leg and arm on his left side were completely gone and it was only a matter of time before he bled out. Luckily I was able to save him. But Sam…" He took a deep labored breath. I put an arm around his shoulders. "I should have been the one to go. Sam has a wife and three kids. He should have been the one to make it out with a few cuts. Not me." The emotion in his voice was so heavy that it made me start crying a little. I hugged him and we sat there on the swing, thinking about our tragedies.

After a while, I knew that I needed to say something. "Jacob, that isn't nothing. You were serving this country and you witnessed two of your friends die and one lose a few limbs. That is a serious trauma. It's okay to mourn. Don't put it off as nothing. You have a right to be upset." I took a deep breath. "At the same time, you can't beat yourself up about it. You couldn't have known that anything would happen. If you would have refused to switch and the turnout was the same, do you know what you would be sitting here telling me? You would be telling me that you should have switched spots because you weren't at your full capability of driving. That if you would have just switched with Sam, maybe he would still be alive or maybe they would all be alive. No matter what, if you came out alive, you would feel guilty in some way. It is human nature. Don't beat yourself up thinking that this is your fault. You are a hero." I felt bad, considering that I was being a bit hypocritical. But people had told me this and it usually helped a little, so I wanted to try.

Jacob didn't respond, he just nodded a little and sighed heavily. We sat out there for about another half hour. It started to get a lot cooler and I started shivering.

"Let's get you inside. It's getting cold." Jacob said with a heaving sigh and standing up. We went in and Mom gave us each a slice of pecan pie that I didn't know she had. We both took it and ate it in silence, too caught up in each other's tragedies to say anything. After the pie, Jacob decided it was time for him to go home. Mom and Dad both gave him big hugs and I walked him out to his car.

Giving him a huge hug before he got in his car, I reminded him, "Jacob, please, call me if you need to talk. I know the gist of what you are going through. The flashbacks, the images coursing through your blood 24/7; don't suffer in silence. We can help each other with this stuff." I handed him a little slip that I had wrote my number on.

"Thanks, Bella. I will." He smiled a weak smile that I was all too familiar with. "And thank you for letting me talk. I need to do that more."

"Of course. I will talk to you later." I said, stepping back as he closed his door and said bye through the open window. I waved from the porch as he drove away. I finally might have found someone other than my counselor to fully confide in.

**Okay, I have spent about 5-6 hours every day working on this story and somehow, I got a chapter ready in less than a week. Now, I know I threw a few curve balls at you with Rose getting pregnant and the whole thing with Jacob. I was surprised too. Sometimes, I just let my brain tell my fingers what letters to type and at the end, I am just as surprised at what we end up with. Hahaha. I hope you like it! Review and tell me what you would like to see happen! I need help or who knows where we will end up! Like I said, I just go with what my brain decides, I have a few plans for later chapters, but that's it. Also, I want to thank all of those people out there who are serving a country, any country. To put your life on the line for other people is something that deserves recognition. If you are someone who has lost someone in the service, I am praying for you and your family. You all are heroes in my eyes. Thank you.**


	12. Chapter 12

**SO sorry that I haven't updated in a long time. It has been CRAZY! Between school and Labor Day weekend (if you are in the USA) and now I might have the mumps!? Idk, but anyway, I have been writers blocked and it's just been crazy. So, although this isn't my favorite chapter, it's here. Thank you for coming back. **

This day had consisted of so many things. The baby shower, the flashback, the cut, Rose telling me that she is pregnant, Jacob showing up; it seemed like it had been weeks since I woke up from this same bed – excited for the day. It felt crazy to go through all of this in one day. As I reflected on these things, I closed my eyes, cradling my child in my stomach.

"Te quiero, mi hijo pequeño. Tú eres mi vida. Usted es por eso que estoy aquí." I whispered in Spanish before falling asleep.

The quiet buzz of my phone vibrating woke me up just as the sun was approaching the horizon. I moaned sleepily and picked up my phone, not even bothering to look and see who it was.

"Hello?" I yawned.

"Oh, did I wake you up? Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Rose gushed. "I'll call you back later."

"Rose, wait. Don't hang up. I'm awake now. What's going on?" I sat up in bed and pulled my covers up to my shoulders.

"Well, I told him last night. Emmett, about the baby."

"How'd it go?"

"He was so happy, Bella. I've never seen him smile that huge in his whole life. You were right. Thank you so much for encouraging me to do this. He really did need it. Even on our wedding day he wasn't this happy. It's like someone took a thousand pound weight off of his shoulders. Thank you, Bella."

"I'm so happy for you two. You really do deserve this. Both of you hold so much guilt over your heads; take this opportunity to undo it all. Stop focusing on the past and look forward to the magical life that is growing in your womb."

"Thank you, Bella. You have given me so much peace about this whole thing." She took a deep breath and then changed the subject. "So, how was the rest of your night last night?"

"Well, Jacob Black came by and we talked for a while. I think that we are really going to help each other with stuff."

"Jacob Black? What? When did he get home?"

"He got back two days ago."

"Why is he back so soon? Is he okay?"

"Well…"

"Sh!t." Rose cursed.

"No, no, no, I mean, physically he is okay. He's got all four limbs and isn't hurt, but he is seriously traumatized I think." I explained to her about the explosion and about his friends.

"Oh my gosh." She whispered.

"I know. I couldn't imagine."

"Anyway, what are you doing today?" Rose said after a few minutes in silence, thinking about being in Jacob's position.

"I don't know yet. Probably nothing, but I really would like to do a little decorating or start with the names. I only have three months to consider this."

"Sounds like fun, do you mind if I come over for a little while? Emmett and I are thinking about breaking the news to both of our parents at the same time. Each of us feel that both sets of parents have been there for us equally and we can't choose on to tell first."

"Of course, Rose! If you want, I could call your parents and have them come over, that way it is less suspicious. I will tell them to come and look at the new nursery and then you guys can just be here already."

"Oh that would be lovely, Bella. Thank you so much. I was wondering how to get them there without them being suspicious. Thank you!"

"Of course, Rose! I will see you in a bit, okay? How about – what time is it? Six am! Goodness! Anyway, how about noon?"

"Okay, Bella. Bye." She laughed and we hung up. Now that I was fully awake, I decided to go and spend some time in the nursery. I sat in the rocking chair and looked at the crib with the blue sheets scattered with little images of zebras and lions and all of those animals. There were framed 6x6 pictures of each stage of his growth so far on the wall. Starting from the very first one I got when I was found to the one I got last week. I hoped to continue this way past his birth. It was like a timeline of my baby's development. As I was sitting there, out of nowhere, a name popped in to my head. Oliver. Oliver Adrian Swan. I didn't let my brain let me think that it was the final name, but my heart melted. As if he knew what I was thinking, he kicked.

"Are you an Oliver? Hmm? Do you like that name?" I whispered and he kicked again. "Maybe."

After that, I got really hungry so I traveled downstairs to go and make me and my buddy breakfast. For some reason, I felt really compelled to eat eggs and peanut butter. So, as odd as it sounded, I started scrambling up the eggs. Right as I scooped them out of the skillet and on to my plate, mom came down the stars. By this time, it was about seven thirty.

"Good morning, Mom." I smiled. Yesterday's hauntings, as much as they still sat in the pit of my stomach, weren't holding me down.

"Hey, baby, what are you doing? It's so early!"

"I know. Rose called me earlier and I just decided to get up. I was really hungry, so I came down here and made breakfast." I said as I plopped a large spoonful of peanut butter on top of the eggs. Mom stared at it for a few seconds and then looked up at me.

"Okay!" She said and I laughed.

"I don't know, it just really sounds good!"

"Cravings. I had some weird ones too. When I was pregnant with you, all I ever wanted to eat was French fries dipped in cream cheese. Now, it disgusts me, but then, I would do just about anything to get a few servings." She told me.

I laughed and ate my breakfast. "Hey Mom, is it okay if at about noon I have Jan and Bill over to see the nursery? I know they wanted to see it and I don't just want to sit around all day."

"Of course, Bella. You don't have to ask, especially not about them."

"Okay, I just wanted to let you know." At 10:30 I called Jan and noon arrived before I blinked an eye.

Mom and Jan talked every night, so Jan already knew everything that happened yesterday. When she walked in, she gave me a huge hug. We all made our way up to the nursery. As they were awing over the room, I heard the front door close and Rose and Emmett walk in. Smiling I excused myself and went to greet them. Jan and Bill were busy chatting away with Mom and Dad anyway.

"Hey!" I smiled hurrying up to Rose.

"Bella!" She gave me a huge hug. We hugged for a long time but finally let go.

"Congratulations, you two. I am so happy for you." I grinned as Emmett consumed me. "You guys are going to be the best of parents. I promise."

As soon as I finished talking, everyone came out of the nursery and saw that Em and Rose had arrived – none of them knowing that they would be here.

"Well, what a lovely surprise!" Mom hugged them both. It wasn't that big of a surprise considering that both of them were here almost every day anyway.

"Well, we want to talk to you guys." Emmett said.

"Oh, is everything okay?" Jan asked.

"Just sit down and we will explain." Rose gave a comforting smile, but not one big enough to give the surprise away. I sat down in a large chair and the four parents all sat on the couch together. Though they were trying to hide it, Mom and Jan's hands were locked together. They were such good friends, they had been through so, so much together and their small gestures showed that they would go through anything for each other.

"Okay, well, we have all been through so much." Rose started out, refocusing my attention on the reason we were all here. "At every turn, there is another dark hole to jump around. For the past few months, I have really been struggling with myself trying to decide how to go about this conversation." I looked at the faces of the four people who had been parents to both of these two lovely people. They all looked terrified and I felt bad. Rose better get to the point soon or one of them might have a heart attack. "I wasn't sure if another distraction would help or hurt. I didn't want anyone to lose their way and fall in, but Bella has helped me to decide that a little distraction might just be what we all need. I'm pregnant."

I looked again at their faces. Their panicked stairs slowly melted into shock. Eventually it sunk in for Mom and Jan. The two men just sat there, stunned. The room was filled with immediate screaming and laughing and hugging. I couldn't even attempt to keep track of the questions.

Eventually, when the two soon-to-be grandmother's made their way to Emmett, I got to hug Rose again. We were both lightly crying. This much joy hadn't been released in this house in way too long.

"Thank you, Bella. Thank you so much."

Emmett came up and hugged me and said the same thing. Kate immerged from the spare bedroom, not wanting to disrupt.

"Kate, get over here!" I demanded. "You have been here for me and everyone so much; include yourself! You are part of this family now, whether you like it or not! Understand?"

She laughed. "Okay, okay!"

As Mom and Jan rattled on and on about the babies and all that was happening, Rose and I sat down together.

"I thought of a name this morning." I told her quietly. "I'm not sure that it is my final choice, but I really like it."

Her face lit up. "Tell, tell, tell!"

"Well, I was thinking…Oliver Adrian Swan. What do you think?"

"Oh my gosh, Bella! I love it! It's perfect."

"I know. I don't want to commit to it, but I could call him Ollie!" I gushed. I truly loved this name and in my heart, it was the one.

"Bella, I think you found your name." Rose smiled.

"Me too." We listened to the conversations for a while. "So, do _you_ have any names?"

"I don't know. We don't know what it is yet, so we can't really start yet. I really like Alyson for a girl though; or maybe Sophia. For a boy I'm not really sure. I'm hoping for a girl though."

"I like them both. Whatever you decide will be perfect." I reassured her. For the rest of the majority of the day, we all just sat and talked. I like it. It took my mind off of things and gave me a positive boost. Around five, my phone rang. The number was unfamiliar and my heart jumped a little. It always scared me to answer phones – even though I did it all the time. I didn't know when or if Dmitri would try to contact me.

"Hello?"

"Bella? Hey, this is Jake."

"Oh! Hey. What's up?"

He hesitated. "Well…I mean…I don't want to bother…" From the tone of his voice, I could sense what he needed.

"Jacob, I told you to call me whenever you needed to talk. What's wrong?"

"I just…how do you do it? The flashbacks; the constant pain?" He gave in.

"Well, I have a lot of people around me who love me and who don't let me crumble. Without everyone here, I wouldn't make it. Besides that, well, distractions help; anything to take my mind off of the horrors flashing behind my eyelids. I have decided that Dmitri isn't going to win this battle. I am. He can't take anymore of my life away." I sighed and let him think. "Jake, are you seeing anyone?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Like a counselor or therapist?"

"Oh, no. Dad keeps saying I should but I can deal with this on my own, I'm okay, I just need some time."

"Jake, you need to find someone. You probably have PTSD. That is serious stuff. You can't just deal with it alone. It's okay, you aren't any less strong because you are getting professional help. Trust me, without Kate; I don't know where I would be. It's nice to have someone who can look at you without seeing your past and all of your moments before you were haunted by these images. She can help me talk through stuff. It really does help, Jake. I can ask Kate to hook you up with someone if you want."

"I don't know, Bella. Are you sure?"

"Jake, I'm positive. I'll talk to her after dinner and call you back okay? She will be more than happy to help."

"Okay, I guess. Thank you so much, Bells."

"No problem. Is there anything else I can do?"

"I think I'm okay now. Thanks again."

"I'll call you back when I know something. Bye, Jake." We hung up right as Mom called us to eat. I felt bad that she was always cooking for these huge crowds. The sympathy casseroles had run out, not we were on our own; and it was never just the three of us. Tonight, she had whipped up an easy meal – frozen pizzas. It was crazy to think that a whole day had already passed by. That's why I loved everyone always being around me, they all distracted me.

After dinner, Kate pulled me aside. "Bella, I need to talk to you about the case." She said. I nodded solemnly. Thinking about this was the last thing on my to-do list. "The detectives found the city and they found this." She handed me a picture of a bright neon sign; the one from my flashback. I gasped and looked away.

"I can't…"

"This is the place you saw?" I nodded meekly. "That's what they assumed too. They just got there a few hours ago so they are still looking, but the building that was facing this sign has been abandoned for ten years. Before that well…it wasn't a good place to be."

I took a deep breath and patted my stomach. "Let me guess. I have to identify this place as well?"

"You don't have to right now. I do have a few more pictures that they sent me, but you don't have to do this now." Kate assured me. I looked at all of the pictures of Emmett on the wall from the years that I was gone. His smile was duller and his eyes didn't sparkle like they did in the ones with me.

"We have to solve this as soon as we can. I owe everyone that much." I looked back at Kate. "Let's get this over with."

Although she looked like she wanted to object to something I had said, she knew that I wouldn't have listened anyway, so she pulled a few papers out of the case folder. They were upside down when she handed them to me. Sitting down against the wall, I flipped the first one over.

There was a small looking building that had about five doors along the side; no windows. I choked on air as I tried to contain myself.

"Yes." Was the best answer that I could muster, flipping the next one over. This one hit me harder. It was the room – where he had held me. I stopped breathing and pushed the pictures away, covering my face.

Kate consoled me, quietly putting the pictures away. "It's okay, Bella. You are never going back there. You are safe now."

I tried to control my breathing to keep from freaking out too much. I tried to think about something else.

"I need a favor." I whispered, focusing on the task at hand instead of the picture.

"Anything; you name it."

"I told Jake that I would ask you for some referrals of some therapists for him. He is really traumatized by what happened and I really think he needs someone. You have helped me so much, he needs this."

"Of course, Bella; I'll get you a list by tonight."

"Thank you, Kate. And not just for this; for everything. You have gone above and beyond the duties of your job for me. I really appreciate it."

"Bella, I am honored to help you in any way you need me to. You have been so wonderful and made my outlook on life so much brighter. Thank _you_."

Kate helped me up and we joined the rest of the crowd. It wasn't too long before everyone had left except Kate – since she was staying again and then going home tomorrow. I went up to my room with the list of names she had given me and call Jacob. The conversation was short, and when we hung up, I still had some energy left, so I called Edward too. I hadn't seen him today and even if I was fine, he always made me feel even safer.

"Hey, Bella." He answered before it even rang. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing really. We had a crowd over here today so I'm pretty much exhausted. How about you?"

"I'm good. Alice and Mom went crazy today, re-decorating the house, and I was their mule when they needed something to be carried or assembled, so I feel you with the exhaustion. How is the little squirt?"

"Ollie's good…I mean…" Shoot. I had been using the name in my head all day, trying it out. I hadn't meant to say it out loud though. "He's doing good, no big advances today or anything."

"Ollie? Did you pick out a name?" He had caught my slip up.

"Shoot. Yes, well, I don't know. I've been testing it out in my head all day. Oliver Adrian Swan. I'm not one hundred percent sure of it yet, but I really like it."

"It's a wonderful name, Bella." Edward said and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Thank you." We talked for a long time and before I knew it I was dreaming; not even sure if we ever actually hung up.

**Thank you to all of you who read this. I love you. Please review! If you want an update faster, I need to be encouraged to write. My lovely **_**Guest**_** out there, whoever you are, your review this morning pushed this one along. Thank you very much. Also, I realized that the website that I had named in the author's note of the last chapter didn't show up. So I'm going to try this again and hope it works. Again, please, if you are feeling suicidal or depressed, reach out and talk to someone. There is someone that loves you. I promise. Helpline numbers in over 40 different countries: ** . **(It isn't hyperlinked so copy and paste it into your browser)**


	13. Chapter 13

**So sorry that it has been so long. Between homework and lack of ambition to write, it's been hard, but I think you will enjoy this chapter. **

The days flew by fast. It had only been a few weeks since I picked out Oliver's name. I hadn't told anyone else yet, but I was dead set on it. Any other name just wouldn't feel right at this point. When I got up, it felt like a normal day; the sky was cloudy and even though it was May, the thermometer read much lower that I would have liked. As I made my was down the stairs, I heard more voices than usual. Lately, now that everything had died down, no one came over until the afternoon.

When I turned in to the kitchen, I was shocked. There were streamers hanging from every possible point and there was balloons everywhere. As soon as everyone saw me they smiled and with one big breath greeted me with a "Happy Birthday!"

Everyone was here. Emmett, Rose, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, Jan, Bill, Kate, Jacob, his dad Billy, Angela even was here. I didn't know what to think. Emmett was the first to break off from the crowd and consume me in a hug.

"It's been too long since we've gotten to celebrate one of these with you. Happy birthday, Bells. I love you so much." He whispered to me. I had totally forgotten that it was my birthday. I hadn't celebrated it in fourteen years.

"I love you too. Thank you for doing so much for me and being here throughout all of this. I couldn't ask for a better brother."

I was ushered over to the table where we all ate a very delicious breakfast that consisted of every breakfast food I could think of; eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, hash browns, casseroles, fruit, Danishes – everything. By the time everyone was done ninety percent of it was gone. Everyone talked to me eventually; all whishing me a happy birthday for the first time since I turned seven. Now, twenty two and very pregnant, I didn't know what to expect out of a birthday. My memories of these are vague.

Eventually, someone deemed it time for presents and I was ushered into the living room. I was face to face with a stack of presents second in size only to the baby shower gifts. Taking my seat in a large rocking chair, I began this adventure. I once again started with the smaller gifts first.

Many of them were clothes both for me and the baby. Which I really needed – especially for me – because a new season was approaching and my winter wardrobe was becoming unnecessary. There was one box – the smallest of the bunch – that intimidated me a little. I went for it anyway, tearing off the shiny silver coating to reveal a white box. When I pulled off the lid, I was stunned.

It was a very gorgeous necklace. The chain was a shiny gold and had a very intricate pattern. On it hung a gorgeous heart locket with 'forever' written on the outside. Inside was a picture of me and Emmett the day before I was kidnapped and one the day after we were reunited. Tears welled up in my eyes. The inside of the lid had a message on it. 'Bella, you have brought so much light into our lives. Every step that you have taken to get to this moment has inspired both of us to find the light amongst the darkest of times. You are truly an angel in this world. We love you so much. ~Emmett and Rose'

My eyes were wet by the time I finished and got up to give them both a massive hug.

"Thank you so much. It's beautiful." I smiled. The bigger packages contained more clothes, some baby items such as diapers – which I was very appreciative for, and then there was the last package.

This one was from both Kate and Angela.

"Both of you?" I questioned. I just found it a tad odd.

"Open it. Then I will explain." Angela smiled. I tore off the blue paper to find a box.

"Are you serious? You just re-used the box right?" There was no way that the picture on the front was really the contents on the inside. Kate shook her head and I looked back down. On the top of the box was a picture of a very sleek, very pricey looking laptop.

"We decided to joint gift because we are both in similar situations with you. We live far away and can't see you all the time. This way, we can video chat no matter where we are." Angela explained.

"Oh my, gosh! Thank you so much!" I was practically speechless. After giving them both big hugs and cleaning up all of the wrapping paper all over the room, they showed me how to work it. They promised to make sure that by the time everyone left, I was fully equipped with the knowledge needed to contact them any time I wanted or needed to.

Mom had made a huge colorful cake and we all hurried in to devour it. I sat down next to Jasper at the end of the table. Jasper and I had gotten pretty close over the past five months. He would come with Alice whenever she came over (which was all the time) and we would talk.

"Thank you so much, Jasper. For everything."

"Oh, you know as well as I do that the clothes was Alice. She puts one foot in a store and there is no stopping her." We laughed.

"Very true; but not just that. Everything; you have talked me through so much."

"Bella, it is my pleasure. You know that no matter what you need, all you have to do is call. You are family." He smiled.

"Thank you." I smiled and then I ate my cake. It was the most delicious thing…oh my goodness. The pregnancy had apparently boosted my sugar cravings a lot these past few weeks.

Everyone was settling down after eating cake and I put down my fork.

"Oliver Adrian Swan." I said.

"What?" Mom asked. Everyone looked at me oddly except for Rose, she was smiling and nodding a bit.

"Wait…" Dad looked at me questioningly. "Did you…" I smiled and took another bite of cake. The excitement that came out of every female in the room made me laugh.

The rest of the day was filled with pure joy and celebration. Not that I really remember any of them, but I have to say that this was the best birthday that I had ever had.

After my birthday passed, time seemed to pass me faster than I could keep track of. Somehow, I had landed myself two weeks before my due date and the size of a whale.

Today, I was doing busy work, piddling with baby toys and rearranging all of the clothes a hundred times – we had gotten rid of the alligator one though. Everyone was out of the house and at work today. They were still wary to leave me home alone after the incident, but the medicine had been helping and someone called me every hour to check up on me. This wasn't the first time since then either. Being on my feet all day was probably bad for me, but taking the stairs alone and at my size just wasn't an option right now. I had my little stash of food up here for lunches and when Mom and Dad came home they would assist me going down the steps. Other than playing around with baby stuff, there was nothing to do, so being on my feet just sort of happened.

As a result of this, my back and stomach muscles had been aching on and off for a good part of the day. I went in to my room to get my lunch at about noon. The cravings had gotten outrageous. I had to eat peanut butter with everything. Today it was a ham and peanut butter sandwich. I made the delicious meal and sat down in the rocking chair in the nursery. As soon as I did, there was pain. My whole stomach cramped up and I doubled over my round stomach. It lasted for about thirty seconds and then it went away, but I was terrified. My mind couldn't comprehend what was happening. All I could think was – he's going to die. I sat there for a while, hoping that I would wake up and it hadn't happened, but I never did. This was real. I got up and went to the door frame, trying to remember where I had left my cell phone – but pregnancy brain had taken a hold of my memory.

Suddenly, I was hit by another wave of pain and I sank to the floor. My body felt paralyzed by fear. Whatever was happening, I was stuck here by myself with no phone.

I sat like this for a while; hit by pain repeatedly. After five or six more times, someone knocked on the door. My heart stopped. This very moment was what kept me up at night every night for the past six months. Dmitri was here. He was coming for me; he would kill Oliver and probably me too. I tried to stay as quiet as possible, muffling the sobs that tried to escape. He knocked again. Maybe if I stayed quiet, he would think that I wasn't home and he would leave. Then the door handle shook and my stomach fell to the deepest pit of my body. I was going to die.

The door flew open and I almost puked. I couldn't see the door, but my whole body was shaking and my face was drenched in tears. At the worst possible moment, my body was racked with another flood of pain – this one worse than the rest and I let out a short and reflexive scream. As soon as I did, I knew that I had just doomed myself and my child to death.

"Bella?!" My brain processed this slower than anything else so far. Edward ran up the stairs quicker than I could process. He was at my side immediately. "Bella, what's wrong?"

I couldn't talk. The pain faded, but the fear stayed. He sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap carefully. Finally, I felt some security.

I knew he was panicking, so I tried to tell him what was going on. "I thought…you were Dm…" I couldn't even say his name, but Edward understood.

"Shh, you're okay. He isn't here, Bella. You are safe." He repeated over and over. I finally started to calm down again when my stomach tightened up again. I cried out in pain.

"Bella, what's going on?" He asked surprised and very worried. I just looked at him – terrified. "How long has this been happening?"

"A while; I don't know." I couldn't breathe. "What's happening. I'm scared." Edward took a moment, feeling my baby bump, either trying to figure out what was going on or trying to figure out how to tell me. The pain went away and he got out his phone and put on a timer. I was very confused.

"What is going on?"

"Bella," He looked at me calmly but with a hidden sense of urgency. "I think what you are experiencing are contractions." Edward paused so that I could take time to comprehend. "I am timing to see how far apart they are so we know what we are dealing with time wise."

"Edward, I can't do this." I breathed. "I'm not ready. I can't." I started hyperventilating, thinking back on the fact that I had no job, no knowledge of most subjects taught in school, no car, and a memory that came back on its own terms.

"Bella, Bella, stop." His emerald eyes bored in to mine. "You are going to be okay. You CAN do this. I am right here. I'm not going to leave your side until you tell me to, okay?"

"What if I…" I had to pause to catch my breath. "Don't make it?"

Edward shook his head. "Listen to me. I am a doctor, Bella. You are my best friend. I am NOT going to let anything happen to you, alright?"

Right as I went to nod, my stomach contracted and I screamed. They were getting a lot worse a lot faster. Edward grabbed his phone.

"They are three minutes apart. We need to go." He said, standing up.

"No! I'm not ready!" I cried. He knelt down.

"Bells, if we don't go now, this baby is going to be born here." He told me.

Tears streamed down my face. "I'm scared." I whispered.

"I know, honey. Let's go." He gently lifted me up and hurried me down the stairs, carefully of course. Once we were in his car and moving, he handed me his phone. "Call Renee. Have her meet us there."

I was already dialing it and putting in on speaker.

"Hey Edward, what's going on?" She answered.

"Mom…" I tried my hardest not to cry so that I didn't scare her, but I failed.

"Bella?! What's wrong? What's going on?"

"Renee, everything is okay." Edward assured her. "I am with Bella. She is okay. On that same note, we are headed to the hospital."

She didn't let him finish. "What?! Oh my goodness. What's wrong? Why?"

"Nothing is wrong. Bella is going in to labor." He said. And mom gasped. Before she freaked out, Edward started talking again. "Everything is fine, I've got it under control. All you need to do is go to the hospital, alright?"

"Okay. The hospital is about thirty minutes away. I will be there as soon as I can. I have to go tell my boss. I love you Bella."

"I love you too, Mom." She hung up as soon as the next contraction hit. I grabbed on to the arm rest and the door handle and screamed – this one lasted longer than the others. As soon as it ended, I fell back on the seat.

"How long between?" I panted. Edward looked at the time and sighed.

"Three minutes again. Do you know how long you have been having contractions?"

"No. My stomach and back have been really achy all day off and on, but I didn't pay much attention. How…how much time do I have?" I asked nervously. Edward looked at me and the back at the road.

"Well, at this point, you are entering or in the transition phase of labor. Time wise…" He took a deep breath. "Let's just get to the hospital."

I understood. "I need to call Rose." I whispered.

"Of course; speed dial 3." Edward said smiling. Within a few seconds she was answering.

"What's up, Eddie?" Rose answered. It was still on speaker.

"Rose. I need you." I said shakily.

"Bella?! What's wrong honey? Where are you?"

"Can you meet us at the hospital?" I asked.

"What's wrong? Of course."

"I'm going in to labor." Silent tears streamed down my face.

"Oh!" By the tone of her voice I could tell that she calmed down. "Of course, Bella. How far apart are your contractions?"

"Three minutes." I whispered. I heard her suck in her breath.

"Is Edward there?" I could tell she was doing one of those smiles where you are smiling to tell yourself that everything is fine.

"It's on speaker." Edward said. Rose took a deep breath. "I know." He responded, as if they had their own language. "But we are almost to the hospital."

"I'm about twenty minutes out. I'll get there as soon as I can. And I'll call Emmett."

"Thank you Rose." I said as we pulled into the hospital lot.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay, honey." We hung up and Edward parked in a spot right next to the emergency room and he helped me out.

As soon as we walked through the doors, nurses flocked. One brought me a wheelchair – which I felt stupid in but was thankful for. Another came up to Edward.

"We need to get her to a room. Contractions are three – " Another contraction hit and I clutched the chair. One of the nurses patted me on the back. "Make that two minutes apart." Edward finished.

With that, action unfolded. I was taken to a room and helped on to a bed. My doctor – who worked in the hospital anyway – came in and examined me.

"What are we working with?" Edward asked. She looked up at me with a calming but serious look.

"You are nine centimeters dilated. At ten centimeters we push. Labor progresses at different paces for everyone, so it could be within the next ten minutes all the way up to the next half hour. Okay?"

I started panicking a little. I was not ready for this at all.

"Bella." Edward took my hand. "You are going to be okay. You aren't alone in this."

I focused on the ceiling tiles to get me through the next three contractions. They were getting closer little by little.

My doctor came back. "Let's see how we're doing." She smiled. After a few seconds she looked up.

"Bella?"

I didn't make eye contact. I knew in the pit of my stomach what she was going to say and I was terrified.

"You are ten centimeters so on the next contraction, you need to push."

I didn't say anything, because I was afraid that if I did, I would just cry. Right on cue, my stomach tightened up and I screamed. It took every ounce of strength in my body to push. Then I collapsed back to the bed. I realized that Edward still had my hand and I loosened my grip.

"Sorry." I panted.

"Bells. I'm here for you. Don't apologize."

The next contraction hit way too soon. This amount of pain was unrealistic. The only thing that kept me focusing was continuously telling myself that I would get to meet my son at the end of all of this.

After two more pushes, the doctor told me that it was almost over. "One last push and he'll be out."

So, with all of the strength that I had; all of the anger and resentment for Dmitri, all of the insecurities I had – I let those out. I pushed with every ounce of love for my son and for my family. And with that last push, a sound filled the room that I will never forget.

Oliver Adrian Swan took his first breath and a strong healthy cry filled my ears.

**And there we have it folks, Isabella Swan is now a mommy! **** PLEASE REVIEW! I can't write as fast as I would like to without inspiration. Letting me know what you think does just that. Thank you all so much for coming back again. I hope you enjoyed this.**


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